Puella in Monte
by Sailor-Rebecca
Summary: Homura Akemi falls into the Underground instead of Frisk and loses her memories in the process. How will this affect everything? Will Homura chose fight or mercy? Will she be willing to go back after she regains her memories?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first crossover story. I've wanted to do an Undertale/Madoka crossover for a long time now and here it is. This takes place in a kinda AU, where Homura Akemi falls into the Underground instead of Frisk and loses her memory in the process. How will things change? Lets find out.**

 **Also, "Puella in Monte" means "girl in the mountain", in case you're wondering.**

Homura opened her eyes, slowly regaining consciousness. She saw a hole above her. It appeared she had fallen down the hole and would have broken all her bones if it hadn't been for the bed of golden flowers below her. She tried to think back, the last thing she remembered and to her shock, found out she couldn't remember anything. She appeared to have lost her memories. She didn't even remember anything about herself. All she remembered was her name- Homura Akemi.

Homura decided she had to leave the place. But how? The hole was way above her. She couldn't exactly fly towards it. She looked around and saw another room. Perhaps it led to an exit.

Inside the room was a golden flower- with a face.

"Howdy", it said. "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower."

Its spoke in a friendly, almost saccharine tone. Homura was immediately suspicious. For whatever reason, she believed cute things like this flower couldn't be trusted.

"Hmm...You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha", Flowey went on, "Golly you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here."

The Underground? So there was a whole other world inside this hole? Homura still didn't trust Flowey but she wanted to know more.

"I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go."

Suddenly, Homura felt a tug on her finger. Something came out of her ring- a purple gem. Inside it, was a red heart. Flowey looked confused but quickly recovered.

"Okay. Uhh...see that heart? That's your SOUL, the very culmination of your being."

Homura nodded. But she wondered why her soul needed to be inside a gem. Did all the Underground inhabitants put their souls in jewels? Something told her that was not the case...

"Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain lots of LV. What's LV stand for?"

Homura had never played video games- and if she had, she didn't remember- but she felt certain that LV stood for LEVEL.

"Why, LOVE, of course."

That didn't make sense. Why did such a short word need to be shortened even more? Something told Homura that things weren't what they seem.

"You want some LOVE, don't ya? Don't worry, I'll give you some."

Some deadly-looking white bullets appeared around Flowey.

"Down here. LOVE is shared through...little white...friendliness pellets.

Homura decided she had had enough.

"Stop right there!", she exclaimed, speaking for the first time since she fell. "You have given me no reason to trust you. So, no thank you!"

At first, Flowey looked confused. Then, his faced morphed into a wide, demonic grin.

"You know what's going on here, do you?"

"No, but I don't trust you. Not one bit."

"I see. So that is how it is. Too bad. In this world, its kill or be killed!"

The white bullets surrounded Homura.

 _ **"DIE!"**_

Flowey laughed evilly as the bullets edged closer to Homura's SOUL. She closed her eyes. Was this how she was going to die? With no memories? The bullets hit her SOUL and...nothing.

"What? How..." Flowey began. A fireball appeared from the shadows and tossed Flowey away.

From the shadows, a goat lady appeared. She wore a purple dress and had brown eyes.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth", she said, looking sympathetically at Homura. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come down here in a long time."

So, other humans had fallen down there. How did they get out then?

"My name is Homura Akemi. That's...all I remember."

"You mean you don't remember anything?" asked Toriel. Homura shook her head.

"Ah, its a case of amnesia. You must have hit your head too hard in the fall. Not to worry, your memories will return soon, though it will take some time. Now, come with me."

Unlike Flowey, Toriel seemed genuine. Her voice was kind and she had a motherly aura. Homura sensed she could be trusted. Together with Toriel, Homura went into the Ruins.


	2. Chapter 2

The room they had entered seemed ancient. In the middle, there was a small pile of leaves with a golden point that vaguely interested Homura, but she decided she'd ask about it later. There was a set of stairs that led to another room. Inside the room, there ere a set of buttons on the floor. There was a switch on the wall and a locked door.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one" said Toriel, "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins."  
She stepped on some of the burrons, then pressed the switch. The door opened.  
"The Ruins are full of puzzles", Toriel explained, "Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."  
Homura didn't understand why they needed puzzles to navigate, but decided not to question it.

The next room contained little canals of sorts with small bridges built over them. On the wall were three switches. Two of them had arrows pointing to them. A set of spikes blocked the entrance to the next room.  
"Do I have to press the switches to enter the next room?" Homura asked.  
"Oh, you're a smart one" said Toriel. "Why, yes. But don't worry, I've labelled them for you."  
Homura pressed the two switched Toriel labelled. The spikes disappeared.

In the next room was a dummy.  
"As a human living in the Underground, monsters will attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation."  
"I understand", said Homura. "Fighting is inevitable."  
"Oh, no, I don't mean fighting", said Toriel. "When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come and resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy."  
That didn't make sense to Homura. A monster that would be looking to kill her wouldn't exactly be looking for small talk. But like many other things she didn't understand, she decided not to question it. She stood facing the dummy. Her SOUL came out of the ring- a small, purple gem with a purple heart inside it. She stared awkwardly at the dummy for a while.

"Um...Hi. My name is Homura Akemi."

That was terrible. But Toriel looked very pleased with her.

"Well done, Homura" she said, clapping her hands.

They walked to the next room.

"There is a puzzle in this room" said Toriel. "I wonder if you can solve it."  
"I'll try", Homura promised.

They had made it halfway when a frog monster calling itself Froggit tried to attack Homura. But Toriel put an end to it soon enough.

Ahead there was a pool of water with spikes serving as a bridge.

"This is the puzzle?" Homura asked. That looked unsolvable.

"Er, yes, but...Here, take my hand."

Toriel took Homura's hand and guided her through the spikes.

"Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

The next room was a long pathway with a pillar in the corner.

"You have done well thus far, my child", Toriel said. "However, I have a difficult request for you. I want you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Please forgive me for this."  
"That seems doable."  
Toriel went...only to hide behind the pillar. Homura smiled. Did Toriel really think Homura couldn't see her? But just for Toriel's sake, she walked till the end of the room. Once she had reached, Toriel came out of the pillar.  
"Greetings, my child", she said. "Do not worry. I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time."  
 _I saw you_ , thought Homura. But she did not say it out loud.  
"I wanted to test your independence. I have some business to attend to. You will have to be by yourself for a while. Please remain here. It is dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea. I will give you a cellphone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?"  
The cellphone Toriel gave her seemed old. After giving it to her, Toriel left.

As soon as Toriel was out of sight, Homura left the room. The second she did, she got a phone call.  
"Hello? This is Toriel. You haven't left the room, have you?"  
"Um...I have, actually."  
"I wouldn't recommend that. There are some puzzles ahead I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to solve them by yourself. Be good, alright?"  
Saying this, Toriel kept the phone down.

Homura sighed. Toriel treated her like such a child, even though she was what...fourteen? Fifteen? Okay, that was scary. Homura couldn't even remember her own age.

Homura felt bad about disobeying Toriel but she explored the Ruins. True to her word, they did contain a lot of puzzles. It took Homura quite some time to figure out how to solve them. But she wasn't going to call Toriel. She didn't want to bother her. Besides, even if she didn't remember her own age, it was obvious that Homura wasn't a child anymore. She had to be independent. Monsters did attack Homura. She got some minor bruises, but she managed to talk them out of it. She saw more of those golden points, and her curiosity increased as to what they were.

At one point, she got a call from Toriel.  
"This is Toriel. For no reason in particular, which flavour do you prefer? Butterscotch or cinnamon?"

"Oh, yeah, you lost your memories, didn't you? I'm sorry about that. But...you don't have any allergies, do you?"  
"Not that I remember. Why are you asking?"  
"Huh? No reason."  
She kept down the phone.

Homura walked on till she reached a room with a tree that seemed to have lost its leaves.  
"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought."  
Toriel tried to call Homura on her phone, but then noticed Homura was right in front of her.  
"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?"  
"Just a few minor bruises. Nothing much."  
"Even then, let me heal you."  
Toriel touched Homura's head. All her injuries disappeared.  
"I should not have left you alone. It was irresponsible of you to try and surprise you like this."  
Toriel blushed when she realized what she had said.  
"Er, well, I suppose I cannot hide it anymore. Come on."  
Homura followed Toriel to her home, but just outside, she saw another golden point. Now, her curiosity really got the better of her. She reached out and touched the golden point. A voice that definitely wasn't Toriel's said:

 **Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.**  
 **File saved**  
 **Homura LV 1 2:26**  
 **Ruins- Home**

Unsure of what this meant, Homura followed Toriel into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Toriel's house was indeed neat and tidy. In the middle was a staircase that led to some kind of basement. To the right, were some rooms that Homura assumed were bedrooms. To the left was a living room and a kitchen. The house was permeated with a warm smell.  
"Do you smell that?" asked Toriel. "Surprise! Its a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we'd celebrate your arrival. Here, I have another surprise."  
Toriel led Homura to one of the rooms.  
"A room of your own. I hope you like it."

Homura entered the room. It was peasant enough, though it looked like it had been used before. There was a bed the a corner of the room.  
"I also piked out some clothes for you" said Toriel. "You simply must get out of that school uniform."  
Homura looked down at her clothes. She hadn't realized she was wearing her school uniform.  
"Is something burning? Uh, make yourself at home."

Toriel rushed into the kitchen. Homura looked back at her, smiling. She really didn't have to do so much for a person she just met, but she did. Homura got into one of the clothes- a purple frock. It was a perfect fit. She then looked around the room. Near the bed was a box of toys. On the wall, was a drawing of a flower. Near that, was a box of shoes in a disparity of sizes. Sitting on the bed were some clothes.  
 _Yes, this room has definitely been used before,_ she thought.

Homura then lay on the bed. She didn't realize how tired she was till she was in the bed. As soon as she touched it, she fell asleep. And that is when the dreams started.

Homura dreamed she was on top of a building, in ruined city. Debris was floating around. The sky was grey and cloudy. She was now wearing a white and grey outfit and stockings. In one hand, she held a shield. She looked up and saw something in the sky. It looked like a woman but Homura knew that wasn't it. It wore a blue and white gown, and sported a wicked smile. It had no eyes.

Homura was determined to defeat it.

She jumped up towards the monster. A building nearly smashed into her but she barely escaped. Two fireballs were hurled towards her. Homura avoided the first and blocked the second with her shield. She was strangely agile. More fireballs came towards her. They were too much for her to deflect and she was thrown backwards.

Homura was lying on the branch of a tree. She looked down. Standing on a bridge was a girl about Homura's age. She had pink hair tied into two pigtails by red ribbons. She was talking to a strange creature. It looked like a cat, with big ears and a bushy tail. For some reason, Homura didn't want the creature anywhere near the girl.

 _Don't listen to what he's saying,_ she tried to warn the girl. She jumped from the tree. But the girl couldn't hear her. She only looked more determined to do what she was going to do.

A bright light appeared near the girl as Homura fell down.

Then, her dream changed. She was on the floor. Her leg was caught between a piece of debris. Blood came from her forehead and trickled till her nose. She looked at the gem on her hand. It was turning from purple to black.

The girl from the previous dream came towards Homura. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood.  
"That's enough, Homura" she said. "You've done enough."  
Her voice was kind and reassuring. She cupped Homura's head into her arms. They were warm and comforting.  
"Homura", she said, rather sadly. "I'm sorry."  
She ran forward as Homura tried to stop her.

Homura woke with a start.

The first thing she noticed was that she had been covered. She didn't cover herself when she went to sleep. Near the bed was a slice of pie. Homura took a bite of it. Instantly, a warm feeling spread all over her body. Homura felt she hadn't eaten something this good in a long time. Toriel had really put all her effort into making this.  
 _You really didn't have to do this, Toriel_ , she thought.

But she had a lot more questions now. Who was the girl and the creature? Why was she so determined to stop the girl from talking with the creature? Who was that monster who had destroyed the city? And moreover, she had a lot of questions for Toriel as well.

Toriel was in the living room, reading a book.  
"Toriel", Homura called her. She looked up from her book.  
"Oh, Homura, you're up already" she said.  
"Your pie was delicious", said Homura.  
"Aw, thanks. It was my pleasure to make it for you. You have no idea how happy I am to have someone living here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favourite bug hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you, but I've always wanted to be a teacher. Actually, maybe that isn't very surprising. STILL. Oh, did you want something, Homura?"  
"You said...I was the first human to come down here in a long time. Does that mean others have been down here?"  
"Oh, uh, yes."  
"So that means...they've gotten out right?"  
Toriel's face became grave. Homura had a feeling that wasn't the case. Something terrible probably happened to the humaans who had been down here. Suddenly, she sensed something else in Toriel- loneliness. She ha gone on about how happy she was to have someone living with her. She wondered how many times she had told that to someone else, only for them to leave. She suddenly felt bad for wanting to leave.  
"Never mind. I...had this dream", she said, anxious to change the subject.  
She told Toriel about her dream.  
"I don't know who that girl is yet but I have a feeling she's...important to me."  
"If she appeared in your dream, then you must have met her" said Toriel.  
"I know, but as of now, I don't remember who she is."

"Oh my, would you look at that", Toriel said, looking at something. Homura looked where Toriel was looking and got a shock. Standing in front of them was the creature from Homura's dreams.  
"Why, I have never seen anything like you" said Toriel. "Just look at that beautiful tail. What is your name?"  
"Kyubey", the creature said, not moving its mouth. Its red eyes were fixed on Homura.  
"Kyubey? That's a strange name, but its nice. You must be hungry. Wait here, I'll get you a slice of pie."

Toriel went into the kitchen. The creature moved further towards Homura.

"There you are, Homura", it said. "I've been looking for you."  
"You...you're the creature in my dream" said Homura.  
"What? You mean you don't remember me?" asked Kyubey.  
"No... I know I've met you but I don't remember you."  
"Oh dear. Well, its a case of amnesia."  
"Yeah, that's what Toriel told me. She said my memories will return in due time."  
"Toriel...that lady. Only Magical Girls are supposed to see me. I guess the inhabitants of this place are different from humans. I even sensed magic in Toriel. I sensed magic throughout these Ruins."  
"Wait...Magical Girl? What's that?"  
"You really don't remember anything?"  
"No. I only remember my name."  
"Alright then. So, you, Homura Akemi, are a Magical Girl. Your job is to hunt Wraiths, manifestations of grief. You were tracking a nest of wraiths. Your search led you to a mountain near Mitakihara, and I guess you fell down here later."  
Homura had a hard time trying to process this. That monster in her dream...had it been a Wraith too?

Just then, Toriel came with a slice of pie. She kept the plate in front of Kyubey.  
"Here you are. Eat up, Kyubey."  
Kyubey did eat the pie, though he gave no indication if he thought it was delicious.  
"So, I see you've been talking to Homura."  
"Yes. In fact, my whole reason for coming here was to collect Homura Akemi."  
"Why is that?"  
Kyubey explained Homura's job as a Magical Girl again to Toriel.  
"So, if you could be so kind as to tell us how to exit these Ruins?"  
Toriel hesitated for a moment. Then, she went to the basement, saying she had something to take care of.  
"That Toriel is surely hiding something" said Kyubey. "Lets follow her."

Homura and Kyubey followed Toriel to the basement.  
"Toriel", Homura called. "I know you've been hiding something. What..."  
"You want to know how to get back to the surface, don't you?" said Toriel. "Beyond this room, lies the end of the Ruins. A one way ticket to the rest of the Underground."  
"Thank you" said Kyubey. "Come on, Homura. Lets..."  
"I am going to destroy it" Toriel said.  
"What?!" exclaimed Homura.  
"No one will be able to leave. Now, be a good child and go upstairs."

Homura and Kyubey kept following Toriel even further.  
"Toriel, you can't just keep me trapped here. I have to.." Homura began, but Toriel cut her off.  
"HOMURA!"  
Homura backed off. She'd never seen Toriel angry till now and seeing her like that intimidated her.  
"You were asking what happened to the humans that came down here, right? They didn't make it to the surface. They came. They left. They died. If you leave, they... **Asgore**...will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? Now, go to your room."

"Even so, its illogical to keep Homura Akemi trapped down here" said Kyubey. "Any other human would have been fine. But Homura is a Magical Girl. She had a job to do."  
"Do not try to stop me" said Toriel. "This is your final warning."

Homura hated to disobey Toriel but she and Kyubey followed her till they reached a door.  
"Homura Akemi is not an ordinary human" said Kyubey. "She's a Magical Girl. She has experience in fighting. She can defeat whoever Asgore is."  
"Then let her prove it" said Toriel. "Let her prove that she is strong enough to beat me."  
"Wait, Toriel, no!"

But it was too late. Homura felt her SOUL come out of her ring. She was now in a fight with Toriel. Toriel unleashed a barrage of fire attacks. They were not so powerful but they did hurt Homura. She remembered what Toriel had told her- that when she was in a fight, she was to strike up a friendly conversation. But she knew she couldn't talk her way out of this situation.

"Homura!" Kyubey called. "Hurry up and transform! Use your Soul Gem!"  
Soul Gem? Homura assumed Kyubey meant her SOUL. She cupped it in her arms. Immediately, she was transformed. She was now wearing the same outfit in her dream. Her SOUL- or Soul Gem as Kyubey called it- was on her hand.  
"Quick! Summon your weapon!"  
Homura summoned her weapon- a bow and arrow.

Toriel summoned more fire attacks. Homura was more resilient in her Magical Girl form. She had better defences. She managed to block the fire attacks. She then set an arrow to her bow. There was nothing wrong in it. After all, Toriel wanted Homura to prove that she was strong. But she was hesitant. Even though they knew each other for less than a day, Homura had grown to like Toriel. She lowered her weapon.  
"Homura, what are you doing?" asked Kyubey.  
"Why do you hesitate?" asked Toriel. "Prove your strength!"  
"I won't fight you, Toriel!" said Homura.  
"If you refuse to fight, then you aren't going to make it out there!" said Toriel. "They will kill you! Either you fight or run away!"  
More fire attacks. More defense from Homura. But surprisingly, not one fireball touched her. Homura realized that Toriel wasn't trying to hurt her. She didn't want to fight either. There had to be some way she could convince Toriel without fighting...  
"Toriel, I understand your loneliness and I'm sorry I can't stay. But keeping me trapped here against my will isn't right. Like Kyubey said, I'm a Magical Girl. I don't remember everything about it but I know I have a job to do. And even if I wasn't, what would the others make of my disappearance? What if I had a family that was worried for me? What if I had friends looking out for me? And what about these Wraiths? Who's to say they won't hurt people? If I don't fight them, then who will? What if I'm the only Magical Girl around to protect people from these Wraiths? Please Toriel, try to understand!"

Toriel dropped her fire attacks.

"Homura...if you leave, you'll be.."  
"I won't! I promise!"  
"Homura...you're a strong one."  
"Toriel, I'm sorry, I do want to live with you, but-"  
"No, no, I understand. You would be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are quite small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations...My loneliness...My fears...for you, my child, I will put them aside."  
Homura let out a small chuckle.  
"I'm not really a child."  
"Oh, Homura. If you truly wish to leave the Ruins, I will not stop you. However, once you leave, please do not come back. I hope you understand."  
Toriel came forward and hugged Homura. Her embrace felt warm.  
"Goodbye, Homura."  
Toriel went away. She looked back once, then went back to her home.

Homura went towards the door. She, too, looked back. A tear came out of her eye. She wiped it and proceeded towards the exit with Kyubey.  
"I don't understand" said Kyubey. "You had the chance to prove yourself. Why didn't you-"  
Homura stopped Kyubey when she saw Flowey.  
"Clever. Verrry clever. You think you're really smart, don't you? Just because you use some magic, you think you have an advantage, don't you?"  
"What do you want?" asked Homura.  
"Ha ha. I didn't even know humans could use magic."  
"Only Magical Girls can" said Kyubey.  
"No matter. Just because you've got magic, doesn't mean you're completely free, girl. In this world, its kill or be killed. Even if you use magic, what will happen when you meet a relentless killer, against whom your magic is of no use? You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. Until you tire of dying. What will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world and let ME inherit the power to control it?"  
"NEVER! I swear, I will NEVER do ANYTHING that will satisfy the likes of YOU!" Homura said, her voice seething with anger.  
"We'll see about that, Homura Akemi. Mark my words, by the time your memory returns, you'll wish you still had amnesia. You'll regret ever knowing the truth."  
Saying this, Flowey laughed wickedly and disappeared into the ground.

"That flower really interests me" said Kyubey.  
"It tried to kill me" said Homura. "I swear, I will never use my magic to kill an innocent monster."  
"Well then, you're ready to go?"  
Homura took a deep breath.  
"I'm ready."

Together, they stepped out of the Ruins, into the rest of the Underground.


	4. Chapter 4

**FINALLY, the fourth chapter is done.**

 **It took me forever to write this one. Part of the reason is procrastination and the other part is I was conflicted on whether to keep the fight with Papyrus or not. In the end, I decided to keep it.**

 **I will try to post the fifth chapter as soon as possible.**

As soon as she stepped out of the Ruins, Homura wished she could go back.

The place they had stepped into was a forest. Snow had fallen down. It was terrible cold and Homura's frock wasn't doing her any favours. She now wished she hadn't ditched her school uniform. At least that thing was nice and warm. She even thought of transforming again just to protect herself from the cold, because her Magical Girl outfit covered her whole body.

Kyubey had no problem with the cold as his fur protected him from it. Ever since she met Kyubey, Homura had vague suspicions about him but she kept that to herself.

Homura hadn't told Toriel but the main reason she wanted to leave the Underground wasn't because of her Magical Girl duties, but because of her memories. She figured if she got to the surface, something familiar would refresh her memories faster. Most of all, she kept thinking about the girl in her dream. She wanted to meet her. Yet, something told her that wasn't possible- a vague memory, she couldn't place.

A sudden noise jolted her from her thoughts. She turned back.  
"Did you hear that?" she asked Kyubey.  
"Yes" replied Kyubey. "We're being followed."  
Homura looked around and couldn't see anyone. She decided to keep walking. She took a few steps further and heard another noise- the sound of footsteps.  
"I saw someone!" exclaimed Kyubey. "Homura, you'd better be ready to ransform."  
Homura nodded. She summoned her Soul Gem.  
"Whoever you are, show yourself!" she exclaimed.  
"Heh heh. You got me" said a deep voice. A figure emerged from the shadows.

Th figure didn't look very threatening, but Homura had learned not to underestimate. It was just a skeleton wearing a blue hooded jacked with a permanent grin plastered on his face. He was shorter than Homura.  
"At least shake my hand" he said. He held out his bony hand. Homura was suspicious. Very carefully, she put her hand on his. His hand didn't feel bony at all. It felt like something was there- something like a balloon. And then it deflated, making an unpleasant sound.  
"Heh heh, the whoopee cushion in hand trick" the skeleton said, its grin becoming wider. "Its ALWAYS funny."  
Homura tilted her head, obviously unimpressed at this prank.  
"What, you don't find it funny?" The skeleton shrugged. "Humans. They're hard to impress. Anyway, I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."  
"Homura Akemi. And this is Kyubey."  
"Oh, you have a pet too?" said Sans. "That's unexpected."  
He looked at her from head to toe, as if he was expecting something else.  
"Well, I'm supposed to be on a lookout for humans right now, but you know, I don't feel like capturing anybody. Now my brother Papyrus, he's a human hunting FANATIC. Oh, there he comes right now. I have an idea, go through this bridge."  
Sans led Homura through a bridge with bars that was obviously supposed to stop humans from coming through but were made too wide to stop anyone.  
"Quick, behind that con- oh. You're too tall for that lamp, aren'y you? No prob. You can hide behind one of those trees."  
Homura took Kyubey and hid behind a pine tree.

Another skeleton appeared just then. He was about as tall as Homura and ore a weird outfit with an orange cape. Homura suspected that was the thing making him taller.  
"'sup, bro" said Sans.  
"You know what's 'sup, brother" said Papyrus. Whether he was yelling or not it was hard to make out. "Its been eight days and you haven't re calibrated. your. puzzles. You hang around outside your station. What are you even doing?"  
"Just checking out those trees. You want to join me?"  
"No, I don't have time" said Papyrus, stomping his foot. "What if a human comes through here? I want to be ready! I will be the one! I must be the one! I will capture a human! Then I, the great Papyrus, will get all the things I utterly deserve! Respect...recognition... I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard! People will ask, to be my, friend. I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning!"  
"Hmm...maybe those tees will help you."  
"Sans! You are not helping!"

From behind the trees, Homura and Kyubey were watching.  
"I don't see the point of this" said Kyubey. "I'll tell you what. I'll distract those two whole you go on ahead."  
"Sounds good to me."  
Kyubey came out of the hiding spot. He went up to the two brothers.  
"Sans! Look at that!" said Papyrus, pointing at Kyubey. "Its so cute! Look at its fluffy tail! I've never seen anything like it! Where did you come from, little guy? Are you lost?"  
"My name is Kyubey. I come from the surface."  
"THE SURFACE?! Wow, what's it like?"  
"Its very vibrant" said Kyubey. His eyes bore into Homura. She nodded. She came out from her hiding spot, then ran away as fast as possible.

Homura brushed the pine needles out of her hair. Kyubey had proven useful providing a distraction, but she still didn't trust him completely. Homura saw another golden point, just like the ones in the Ruins. Naturally, she went towards it and touched it. The voice spoke again:

 **Having a cute companion that can provide a distraction fills you with determination**

 **Homura LV 1**  
 **Snowdin - Box Road**

"Just what are these golden points?" Homura thought aloud.  
 **They're SAVE points,** the voice said, much to Homura's shock. **So in case you die, you can come back here.**  
"In case I die? I don't understand anything about this world. Just what is going on? And...where are you?"  
 **Wherever you are, that's where I am,** said the voice. **Don't worry, you'll soon get used to the rules of this world. You have a power I thought no one else had.**  
Homura was as confused as ever. She now wished she hadn't stepped out of the Ruins. Things seemed simpler back there. Plus, at least the Ruins were warm. But at the same time, she knew she needed to get back to the surface.

She looked at her ring. She had her doubts about this whole Magical Girl thing. Something told her things were not what they seemed. She remembered what Flowey said when she stepped out of the Ruins.

 _Mark my words, by the time your memory returns, you'll wish you still had amnesia. You'll regret ever knowing the truth._

Did he know something about her life? Homura shook that thought away. No, there was no way he could have known.

She had walked a short way when she heard a familiar voice.  
"Human!" it yelled. "Do not take a step further!"  
Homura turned back. Sure enough, she saw Sans, Papyrus and Kyubey.  
"So you thought you could trick me by having your cute pet distract me" said Papyrus. "But I am not fooled that easily. I figured you plan quickly and had your pet guide me to you! I, the great Papyrus, have foiled your plan! Now, I will capture you! You will be delivered to the capital. Then...I'm not sure what's next. In any case, continue only if you dare. Nyeheheheh!"  
Papyrus went away laughing.

"You really surprised me" said Sans. "Using your pet to distract us like that"  
"It was his idea", said Homura, looking at Kyubey.

Homura and Kyubey went on their way. On the way, they started talking.  
"Kyubey, why did you choose me to become a Magical Girl?" asked Homura. "What did I have that was special?"  
"I saw magical potential in you" said Kyubey.  
"I see. Am I the only Magical Girl or are there others?"  
"In Mitakihara? There are two others. All over the world, there are thousands of Magical Girls."  
"And how do they become Magical Girls?"  
"They make a contract. Basically, when I meet a girl I think has potential, I grant her a wish- any wish. In exchange for that wish, the girl must fight Wraiths. Its a dangerous job, but they do save many people."  
"I see."  
Homura looked up and wondered what her wish was.

They continued walking in silence. Homura couldn't shake off the feeling that Kyubey wasn't telling her everything. After her encounter with Flowey, she was more wary than ever.

Eventually, they ran into the skeleton brothers again. They were standing at the other end of a square dug into the snow.  
"You're so lazy" Papyrus was saying. "You were napping all night!"  
"I think that's called sleeping" said Sans.  
"Excuses, excuses!"  
Papyrus took notice of Homura.  
"Oh ho! The human arrives" he said. "In order to stop you, my brother and I have created some puzzles! I think you will find this one quite shocking! For you see this is the invisible electricity maze! When you touch the walls of this maze, the orb will administer a hearty zap! Sounds like fun? Because the amount of fun you will have is actually rather small, I think. Okay, you an go ahead."  
"I don't see the point of doing this" said Kyubey. The puzzle doesn't even cover the entire area. You can just walk around it."  
Saying this, Kyubey did just that. Homura followed him.  
"WHAT?! That's not fair!" said Papyrus. "Next time you pet won't be allowed to help you!"  
Saying this, Papyrus went away.

"That was real clever of you" said Sans. "Going around the puzzle like that. You're full of surprises, Homura Akemi."  
Homura just smiled.  
"Your brother does try really hard" said Homura.  
"I know" said Sans. "He's not real threatening but at least he tries. By the way, you see that weird outfit he's wearing? We made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. He hasn't worn anything else since. Keeps calling it his battle body. Man, isn't my brother cool?"  
"He sure is" said Homura.  
"Hey" said Sans. "Are you sure you're..."  
"What?"  
"Oh, nothing" said Sans.

Homura and Kyubey continued their journey.  
"Sans was hiding something" said Homura. "I'm not sure what it is, but he knows something we don't."

They encountered monsters, but Homura managed to get them to leave her alone. She didn't kill anyone, at least not yet.

After a couple of minutes, they encountered the skeleton brothers again.  
"Human! I hope you're ready for.." began Papyrus. "Sans! Where's the puzzle!"  
"Right there. On the ground" said Sans. "Trust me, there's no way she can get past this one."  
The puzzle was merely a piece of paper. Homura picked it out. It was a wordsearch.  
"Mmm hmm" said Homura. "Am I supposed to complete this crossword to get through?"  
"What? Crossword!" said Papyrus. "I can't believe you said that! In my opinion, junior jumble is easily the hardest!"  
"What? Really dude?" said Sans. "That easy-peasy word scramble? That's for baby bones!"  
"Un. Believable" said Papyrus. "Human! Solve this dispute!"  
"Honestly, I don't know" said Homura.  
"What? Haven't you done a puzzle before? Or do you have...uh, what's it called? Do you have anmesia?"  
"Amnesia. And yes, I do have amnesia. When I fell down here, I couldn't remember anything, except my name."  
"Oh...Oh I see. That's...truly saddening. You don't remember how many puzzles you've done. You don't remember how great you were. I have a lot to think about now."  
Saying this, Papyrus went away.  
"Amnesia, huh?" said Sans. "That's a new one."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Oh, nothing."  
"Homura, lets move on" said Kyubey. Homura nodded and followed him.

In the next place was a table with a plate of spaghetti. A microwave was on another table. Next to the spaghetti was a note that read:

Human, please enjoy this spaghetti.

(Little do you know, this spaghetti is a trap designed to entice you. You'll be so busy eating it that you won't notice you aren't progressing. Thoroughly japed again by the great Papyrus.

Nyeh heh heh  
Papyrus)

"Papyrus isn't really a smart one" said Kyubey.  
"He does try very hard though" said Homura.  
Even if she wanted to eat the spaghetti, she couldn't because it was pretty much stuck to the table.

They soon encountered Papyrus again.  
"What? How did you avoid my trap?" he asked. "And more importantly, is there any left for me?"  
"I didn't eat it" said Homura.  
"What? You resisted the flavour of my home cooked pasta just so you could share it with me? Fret not human. I, master chef Papyrus, will make you all the pasta you could want."

In the next place, there was another puzzle. There was a maze with blue X's on the snow. Homura knew she had to turn them into O's.  
"Human...hmm, how do I say this?" said Papyrus. "You were taking a long time to arrive so I decided to improve this puzzle. By arranging the snow to look more like my face. Unfortunately, the snow froze to the ground. Now, the solution is different and as usual, my lazy brother is nowhere around. I suppose what I'm saying is, worry not, human. I, the great Papyrus, will solve this conundrum. In the meantime, you can try the puzzle yourself."  
"Alright" said Homura.  
The voice spoke again.  
 **Don't do the puzzle** , it said. **There's a switch behind one of those trees. Press it and the puzzle will take care of itself.**  
Homura looked behind a tree. Sure enough, there was a switch there. She pressed the switch. At once, all the X's became O's.  
"Wowie, you solved it without my help!" said Papyrus.  
"It was nothing" said Homura.

Across the maze, she found Sans.  
"Good job solving the puzzle" he said. "You didn't even need my help. Which is great because I love doing absolutely nothing."  
"Sans...I know you're hiding something" said Homura. "The way you talk to me, I can tell there's something you know that I don't."  
Sans' grin faded.  
"Oh, you're a clever one" said Sans. "Umm...how do I explain this? You ever heard of timelines?"  
"I'm...vaguely familiar with that term" said Homura.  
"And, you know you're the eighth human to fall down here."  
"I am aware of the fact that other humans have fallen down here."  
"Well, there are many different timelines. In all of them, the eighth human was a kid about half your age. They had a power called DETERMINATION that allowed them to do things like save and reset."  
"You mean those golden points?"  
"Yes. It seems you have that power too. You see, at first everything worked out okay. The kid befriended inhabitants and even got us all to the surface. That had been a hope we had for a long time. Everything was perfect, but the kid failed to save one person. So they started resetting over and over, in hopes of changing this outcome and saving that person"  
"But...this kid only wants to save their friend" said Homura, surprised she was defending someone she hadn't even met. "It can't be wrong if they're not hurting anyone, right?"  
"They did hurt people" said Sans. "After a hundred runs, they finally snapped. They started killing inhabitants. Even my brother Papyrus. I tried to stop them, but I could never truly kill them. All I could do was delay them. In the end, I realized it was hopeless. Even if we get to the surface, the kid will reset again and we'd all be back to square one with all our memories wiped clean. Only I would be aware. And I couldn't tell anyone. They would never believe me. So I pretend I know nothing about these various timelines. No one can understand that feeling. To be the only one to know about those timelines. To try to change he outcome but to no avail. And to know you can't do anything about it. Truthfully when I saw you, I was a bit happy. I thought this meant the timelines had stopped and I could relax."  
"I do have the power to save" said Homura. "But I will never abuse my power. I promise that."  
"Really?" said Sans. "Wow, thanks Homura. You're the first person I ever told about this. I guess because I feel I can trust you."  
"You can" said Homura.  
"Hmmm...most intriguing" said Kyubey. "Did this person happen to be a Magical Girl?"  
"No. They were just an ordinary kid."  
"Hmmm...but only Magical Girls can use magic. I'd like to meet this person myself. I sense a lot of potential in them."  
"Well, we'd better get going" said Homura. "The faster we get to the surface, the better."  
"Bye, Homura" said Sans. "Remember your promise."  
"I will."

It was strange. When Sans described those timelines, Homura felt as if she understood. She had a feeling she had more in common with Sans than she thought.

They continued till they reached a little town. It seemed like a nice place to live if you liked the cold. She continued till she was at a bridge. There, she met Papyrus again.  
"Human" he said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking. Its sad that you don't remember anything about your life. I can't imagine how that must be like. Why, if I had anmesia, I would give anything to regain my memories too. So, I the great Papyrus will...no, no. This is all wrong. You are a human! Anmesia or no anmesia, I must capture you! Then, I can fulfill my lifelong dream. Powerful! Prestigious! Popular! That's Papyrus! The newest member of the Royal Guard!"

The next thing she knew, Homura's SOUL was pulled out of her ring. She had now entered a fight with Papyrus.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yayy, finally the fifth chapter is here!**

 **I won't be posting as much, since I'll be travelling tomorrow. But I'll still try to post as much as I can.**

Homura felt relieved to get into warmer clothing.

She was now in a fight with Papyrus and had transformed to her Magical Girl outfit on the suggestion of Kyubey. The warm clothes that covered her body were a welcome relief from the cold area she was in. Homura felt stronger now.  
"So you changed your clothes" said Papyrus.  
"Its not just a change of clothes" said Homura. "I feel stronger and more resilient in this form."  
"Well then, lets see if you can handle my fabled blue attack!"  
Papyrus threw a lot of blue bones her way. Homura stood perfectly still. Sans had told her earlier to stand still in case of blue attacks. She thought she had this, but suddenly...

"You're blue now. That's my attack! Nyeheheheh!"  
Homura's soul had turned blue and so had Homura herself. She felt heavier now. She could only jump over the many bones Papyrus threw at her. Once or twice, she failed to make the jump or jumped directly into a bone. Strangely, it didn't hurt as much as it should. It felt like a pinch at best. All the time, Papyrus was rambling about his future popularity.  
"Homura, you can summon a bow from your Soul Gem" said Kyubey. "That way, you can easily defeat him."  
She looked at Papyrus and figured one arrow from her bow would be enough to turn him to dust. So she decided against it. She kept jumping over the bones.  
"What are you doing?" Kyubey said. "Just use your bow!"  
"No, I won't hurt anyone" said Homura.

Throughout the fight, Papyrus kept mentioning his 'special attack'. But when the time actually came for him to use it, he found out that a dog was munching away on his 'special attack'. Seeing Papyrus, it slowly went away, taking the bone with it. So he used a 'totally normal attack'. It started off well, but then it became harder to dodge. At one point, Homura had to hold her jump for what seemed like forever before coming to the ground again.  
"Well...its clear...you can't defeat me" said Papyrus, panting. "Yeah, I can see you shaking in your boots. I will spare you, human. Now's your chance to accept my mercy."  
"Thanks" said Homura. "I was getting tired."  
Her Soul Gem returned to purple and her soul became red again. Homura was no longer blue.

"I guess" said Papyrus, "its not right to capture someone with no memories anyway. But now, my lifelong dream won't be fulfilled. I'll never join the Royal Guard. Undyne will be so disappointed in my and, my friend quantity will remain stagnant."  
"I'd love to be your friend" said Homura, taking pity on the poor skeleton. "But I have to go soon."  
"Really? That's cool" said Papyrus. "But, I understand if you can't stay. You have memories to regain. Therefore, I, the great Papyrus, give you permission to pass through. I will even give you instructions to the surface. Continue forward till you reach the end of the cavern. Then, when you reach the capital, cross the barrier. That's the magical seal trapping us all underground. Anything can enter through it, but nothing can exit. Except someone with a powerful soul, like you. That's why the king wants to acquire a human. He wants to break open the barrier with soul power. Then, us monsters can go to the surface. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you."  
Papyrus' voice suddenly became grim.  
"To reach the exit you will have to pass through the king's castle. The king of all monsters. He's...well..."  
Then, his voice return to its normal, loud, cheerful tone.  
"He's a big fuzzy pushover. Everyone loves that guy. I am certain if you just say 'Excuse me, Mr. Dreemurr, can I go home' he will guide you to the exit himself."  
"That's good to hear" said Homura.  
"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be home, being a good friend. Feel free to hang out any time."  
"I'd love to" said Homura. "But I have to go. Goodbye Papyrus"  
"Goodbye human."  
"Uh, Papyrus" she said just before leaving.  
"Yes?"  
"Take care of your brother. He may be lazy but he does care for you."  
Saying this, she left.

Homura was relieved to be out of the cold area. She was now in an area which was entirely blue. There was the sound of rushing water. There was a station where Sans was standing.  
"So you have two stations?" said Homura.  
"What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs?" asked Sans.  
"Not really."  
"Oh, I forgot. You lost your memories. Anyway, I'm taking a break. I'm going to Grillby's. Wanna come along?"  
"No thanks."  
"Okay then. I'll leave you on your way."

She and Kyubey kept going.  
"Homura, you should try to minimise your use of magic" said Kyubey.  
"Why is that?" asked Homura.  
"Well, the more you use magic, the more your Soul Gem will darken. Your Soul Gem can be healed with small, cubic fragments of grief left behind by Wraiths once they're defeated. Currently, however, you don't have any on you."  
"I take it if my Soul Gem darkens completely, it would be a bad thing. I understand. I'll try not to use magic."

Eventually, they came to a place with a lot of grass. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She and Kyubey immediately hid in the grass. Then, a familiar voice spoke.  
"H...Hi, Undyne" it said. It was Papyrus' voice. "I'm here with my daily report. Uh, regarding that human I called you about..."  
There was another voice. A female voice, but it was almost inaudible.  
"What? Did I fight them? Yes, I fought her valiantly."  
The female voice spoke again. Homura still couldn't hear what it was saying.  
"Did I capture her? No. I tried very hard, Undyne, but in the end, I failed."  
The other voice started yelling.  
"What? You're going to take thee human's SOUL yourself? But, you don't have to destroy her. You see...you see..."  
But the other voice cut him off and spoke for quite some time. It was still inaudible.  
"I...I understand. I'll help you in any way I can, Undyne."  
Saying this, Papyrus went away.  
"Well, lets go" said Kyubey. He moved, causing the grass to rustle. This immediately alerted Undyne. She stood above them, a spear in her hand, looking it seemed, directly at Homura. It was there she got a good look at Undyne. She was fully covered in armour, except for her red hair which was tied in a ponytail. When she couldn't find anything, she retreated to the shadows. Homura then came out from the grass.

"Kyubey, couldn't you wait for a while?" she asked. At that moment, the grass began to rustle again. Homura got ready to face whatever was in there. Then, out of the grass came, a young kid. They were a yellow, reptilian kid with no hands, spikes at the back and wearing an orange striped shirt.  
"Hey, I know you" they said. "I saw you earlier."  
"Really?" Homura recalled briefly seeing the kid but she hadn't paid much attention to them.  
"Anyway, did you see how she was staring at you? That...was AWESOME! I'm soooo jealous! What did you do to get her attention?"  
"I..."  
"Oh, I know! I know! Its the hair! The long, silky, beautiful hair! And the ribbon only adds to the beauty!"  
She touched the ribbon and felt nostalgic for some reason.  
"Man, I wish I could grow hair. Anyway, lets watch her beat up some bad guys!"  
They then ran away. They tripped, but managed to get up and run away again. Homura felt a little relaxed that this kid didn't attack her. They seemed oblivious to the fact that she was a human.  
"Lets keep moving" said Kyubey. Homura nodded and kept going.

Homura felt cold all over again, even if she was out of the snowy area. The SAVE point in the area summarised her feelings:

 **A feeling of dread hangs over you, but you stay determined**

She hated to admit it, but she was afraid. That sounded ridiculous. As a Magical Girl, she probably faced worse. But here she was, alone in a strange world, without any of her past memories, and with monsters attacking her left and right. She had Kyubey, but she didn't completely trust the creature yet. His eyes seemed emotionless and his expression remained the same, no matter what. The only sound that was heard was the sound of rushing water. Homura couldn't remember a time she felt so alone. She felt like a lost child. She wished Toriel was still around to guide her. Homura shook those thoughts away.

 _What am I thinking? I'm a Magical Girl! I shouldn't be afraid of a couple of monsters! I can do this!_

When she came to a certain place, she suddenly froze. She had a strong, gut feeling that something was wrong. She was glad she listened to her instinct, because a spear landed right in front of her. Undyne had arrived. She emerged from the shadows and threw endless spears at Homura. Homura took Kyubey in her arms and ran away. A few spears came dangerously close to impaling her. Her heart beating at an immense rate, she ran as fast as her legs could take her, until she came to a place with lot of grass. She went and hid in the grass. She heard footsteps, no doubt Undyne's She held her breath. Undyne reached for her...and caught something else instead, the kid from before. Disappointed, she lowered them back to the grass and went away. Homura started to breathe easier. She came out from the grass. The kid, too, came out.  
"Yo, did you see that? Undyne just...TOUCHED ME!" they chirped, all excited. "I'm never washing my face again. Man, are you unlucky If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left. Yo, don't worry, I'm sure we'll see her again."  
They ran off again.

Homura moved on, but she knew it wasn't over. Undyne would still be after her. That thought made her even more nervous. She walked slowly, still shaky from that experience. She continued to walk in silence. The place was beautiful when you weren't being chased by a monster out for your soul. Ancient glyphs on the wall described the war between humans and monsters, which Homura read out of curiosity. It seemed humans had ultimately won the war and banished monsterkind to the underground. She learned that monsters even feared humans, because they had powerful souls. It would take the soul of nearly every monster to equal the power of a single human soul. Little blue lights in the sky substituted the stars in the human world. Echo flowers, which would repeat whatever you said, were everywhere. She heard the monsters telling their wishes to the stars, many of them wishing to see the real stars, to go to the surface. Homura's heart felt heavy, hearing all these wishes. She felt she should apologise for simply being a human. Her feelings eventually manifested in the form of tears., lots of tears.

"Homura, what are you doing?" asked Kyubey.  
"Sorry, its just that..." she wiped away her tears. "Lets go."  
Before that, she whispered into an echo flower, "I'm sorry".

Eventually, she came to a place where it was constantly raining. There, she saw a sad looking, broken down statue. Homura almost felt sorry for it. Further away, was a can filled with umbrellas. Homura took one and went on her way. A little further, she met the kid.  
"Yo, you got an umbrella? Awesome!"  
They went under her umbrella.  
"Lets go."  
They continued going.

"Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool.", the kid said. "She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night... ... knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha."  
"I see" said Homura. They really didn't know she was a human. She decided to keep quiet about it. Kyubey must have seen that as the rational decision too, because he didn't say anything.  
"So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king- we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr' - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!"  
"Sounds a little far fetched" said Homura.  
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers... She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person."

Eventually, they came to a ledge.  
"Yo this ledge is too steep" said the kid.  
"I'm tall, so I'll help you up" said Homura. She picked the kid up and pushed them to the top.  
"Thanks. But how will you come up?"  
"Don't worry. I'll find a way."  
The kid then ran away.  
"So, how do I get up there?" asked Homura.  
"You can summon wings from your Soul Gem" said Kyubey.  
Homura summoned her Soul Gem. She then tried summoning wings. Sure enough, the white wings appeared on her back. Homura floated up to the top of the ledge. Then, she put away her wings.

They moved on till they reached a network of bridges. Suddenly, a blue oval appeared near Homura, then more appeared. Then, soears came out of them. Undyne was there. Homura's adrenaline kicked in yet again. She ran as fast as she could, away from the spears. The network of bridges was confusing. Finally, at one point, the spears stopped coming. Thinking she lost Undyne, Homura went back, only to come face to face with Undyne. A spear appeared from above and cut the bridge in half. The section Homura was on collapsed. The last thing she heard before she passed out was Kyubey calling her name.

Everything was in darkness. Homura heard a child's voice.  
"It sounded like it came from over there" it said. "Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you? Here, let me help you. Chara, is it? That's a nice name. My name is..."

Before he could complete his sentence, Homura's vision switched. She was now in a place surrounded by whiteness. Standing in front of her was the girl from her dream, only she wasn't wearing the ribbons. On seeing Homura, she smiled.  
"Long time no see, Homura" she said.  
"I...I'm sorry. I don't remember you" said Homura.  
"I see" said the girl. Her smile faded. "It seems in the end, even you will forget me."  
"No, no. I...I hit my head and lost my memories. I may not know who you are yet but I know that you're important and..."  
"No, I understand" said the girl."I can help you get your memories sooner but...are you sure, Homura? Becuase your life, wasn't exactly the happiest. It would have been better if you lived with Toriel. You could have lived a normal life, a happy life."  
"No! If I stayed with Toriel, I'd never know who I truly am! I'd live every day wondering who I am, having dreams about my past life and wrack my head trying to interpret them! So please..."  
"Alright, if you insist."  
The girl came forward and touched Homura's forehead. A sharp gust of wind blew. When the girl let go, the wind stopped. At that moment, an important memory surfaced...the girl's name...  
"Ma...do...ka?"  
"Yay, it worked" the girl said. "It will take some time for all your memories to return though, but they soon will."  
She turned around to go.  
"Wait!"  
Homura knew the girl's name now. She didn't want her to go.  
"Don't worry, Homura. I will always be with you. Even if you can't see me, I'll always be watching over you. Farewell, Homura. Until we meet again."  
Saying this, the girl left.

Homura opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Kyubey standing over her.  
"Good, you've awakened" he said.  
"I...I remembered something" said Homura. "That girl in my dream...I know her name now. Its Madoka."  
"Yes, you did keep repeating that name a few times" said Kyubey.

They continued their journey. Homura kept thinking about her visions.

 _Madoka_

That name evoked in Homura a mixture of feelings- nostalgia, love, sadness, grief. Although she remembered the girl's name now, she still didn't know how she tied in to her life. All she knew is that Madoka was important to her.

Eventually, they came to place with one echo flower that said only two words:

 **Behind you**

Homura turned back and was once again face to face with Undyne. For a while, there was an uncomfortable silence. Then, Undyne spoke.

"Seven" she said. "Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king... **King ASGORE Dreemurr**...will become a god."  
When she heard that name, Homura's heart skipped a beat. She remembered what Toriel had told her when she tried to leave the Ruins.

 _If you leave, they..._ _ **Asgore**_ _...will kill you._

All she had heard about "Mr. Dreemurr" contradicted with what she had just heard from Undyne.

"With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier", Undyne continued with her speech. "He will finally take the surface back from humanity and give them back the suffering we have endured. Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul or I'll train it from your body."  
"I think I'll go with the second option", said Homura summoning her Soul Gem. Kyubey had told her not to use too much magic, but this seemed like a good time. Undyne bounded forward with her spear, when suddenly, the grass behind them rustled.

"UNDYNE! I'll help you fight!" It was the kid. They turned to Homura. "YO! You did it! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!"  
"Well, that's..."  
"Wait. Who's she fighting?"  
"Take a good guess" said Homura.  
Undyne sighed. She took the kid by their ear and went away with them.  
"H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

"That is one oblivious kid" said Kyubey. They continued their journey till they come to another bridge.  
"YO!" a familiar voice said.  
The kid approached Homura.  
"Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something. ... Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... Umm... Yo... You're human, right?"  
"Yes" said Homura. "That's why Undyne was after me. She wanted my soul."  
"Haha. Man! I knew it! ... well, I know it now, I mean... Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human.'"  
"I see" said Homura. "Humans haven't been kind to monsters. I understand if you hate me now that you've found out. I should've told you earlier, so you could've stayed away from me."  
Homura turned around.  
"So, are you also going to attack me now?"  
"What? N-No. I-I'm not physically strong or anything. But I guess, uh, we have to be enemies or something. But, I kinda stink at that. Yo, can you say something mean so I can hate you?"  
Homura remained silent.  
"Yo, what? So I have to do it? Here goes nothing... Yo, I... I hate your guts. ... Man, I... I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now."  
They ran away, but tripped and fell, hanging on to the edge with their teeth.

Undyne came just then. But this wasn't the time. She had to help that kid.  
"I don't have time right now" said Homura. She went forward, held the kid with both her arms, and pulled them up.  
"You okay?" she asked.  
"Y-yeah, thanks."  
They stood in between Homura and Undyne.  
"What are you doing?" asked Homura.  
"Y... y... yo... dude...", he said, defending Homura. "If... if y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first."  
Undyne stared in shock, then backed off.

"Hey, thanks" said Homura.  
"No problem. I couldn't see her hurt my friend like that. Besides, you really saved my skin, uh..."  
"Homura."  
"Homura. That's a nice name. Thanks, Homura. I guess we aren't meant to be enemies after all. Later, Homura."  
Saying this, the kid ran home. Homura smiled. She fully expected the kid to hate her now that they found out, but things hadn't turned out that way.

She went ahead, feeling happy with herself, until she came to a place with a crag. Atop the crag, stood Undyne.  
"Seven" she began again. "Seven human souls and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago..."  
Homura braced herself for a long, drawn out story. She already knew of the monsters' story fro reading the ancient glyphs. But suddenly...  
"No, you know what,, SCREW IT? WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?! NGAAAAAAAAAAHH!"  
Undyne's helmet fell off, revealing her face. It was blue in colour. She had fins on either side, and wore an eyepatch for her right eye. She had red hair, which she tied in a ponytail.  
"YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me thing humans were cool, with their giant robots and flowery swordsmen."  
 _That doesn't sound very accurate_ thought Homura. But she kept quiet and let Undyne continue.  
"BUT YOU?! You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again! And lets not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes schtick. 'Oooh, I'm making such a big difference by hugging random strangers'. You know what would be valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD! That's right, human. Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom. Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all! When we put our hearts together, we can't lose! Now, human, lets end this, right here, right now! I'll show you how determined monsters can be!"  
"I'll show you how strong I can be too!" said Homura. "I won't be like any other human you've faced!"  
"Ha! Lets see!"

Undune jumped from her crag. Homura summoned her Soul Gem. Undyne looked strong. A few arrows from her bow would be enough to just weaken her. Homura had no intention of killing her. But, before she could transform, Undyne ran forward, snatched her Soul Gem, and made a run for it.  
"What are you..." Homura began.  
"No, don't" said Kyubey.  
But it was too late. Undyne ran towards the bridge, with Homura running frantically behind her. She then threw the Soul Gem off the edge of the bridge.  
"There! Now you can fight me without that stupid gem!"  
The next minute, Homura's body went limp and she fell to the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 is done. That was pretty fast. I didn't expect to finish it so fast because I was travelling.**

 **Anyway, unlike the previous chapters, this is written from Undyne's perspective. She finds out the truth about Soul Gems and Magical Girls here. AND, Kyubey tries to form a contract with her and make her the first monster Magical Girl. Lets see how she reacts.**

Undyne stared the the limp, lifeless body of the human before her. She took her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously.  
"IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE? GET UP AND FIGHT ME!" she yelled. But the human gave no response. She showed no signs of even hearing her. Her eyes were open alright, but they had no life in them.  
"What happened to her?" she asked the creature that had been following the human. This cat-rabbit creature gave Undyne bad vibes. Its expression was never changing, no matter what. It didn't look like a human but it wasn't a monster either.  
"You just threw her off the bridge", the creature said, its mouth not moving at all.  
"What do you mean? She's right here!" said Undyne.  
"No, that's not the human you're after. That's just an empty shell. You just threw her off the bridge."  
"So that gem was..."

Undyne felt her heart go straight to her stomach. When she talked to Papyrus, he had said the human used a gem of some kind to transform. That seemed to make her more resilient. Undyne understood the human she was pursuing was no ordinary human. She was a Magical Girl. Why else would she transform and have a cute creature following her? Undyne had watched some Magical Girl shows with Alphys. They had always been fairly joyful, though there had been some serious moments here and there. Plus, they always had cute creatures with them. She only thought that gem was a typical transformation item, not the girl's soul.

"You see, Homura Akemi here was a Magical Girl" explained the creature. "She made a contract with me and became one. You see, a Magical Girl's old body is just a piece of external hardware. Their souls are in a much safer, compact form, so controlling magic is more efficient. Its why they can survive so many battles. If it was their fragile human bodies, they'd die or get severely injured. So when I recruit Magical Girls, I take their souls and turn them into Soul Gems."  
Undyne took a while to take all this in. She felt like a thousand spears were hitting her all at once.  
"And...do any of the girls you make contracts with know this beforehand?" she asked.  
"No, they never ask. And it wouldn't affect them if they didn't know anyway. Some girls never find out till the end."  
"So, let me get this straight. You take the souls of young girls without their consent?"  
"Isn't it more convenient for your soul to have a physical form you can pick up and protect with your own hands? Speaking of Magical Girls, I've been observing you. Magic is abound in this place, but I see the most potential in you. I've been thinking of making you a Magical Girl. We've never had a Magical Girl who's a monster before, but you could be the first. With you already powerful magic, it would generate vast amounts of energy. Plus, you could even go to the surface. So, Undyne, would you make a contract with me and become the first monster Magical Girl? Just make a wish and I'll do the rest."  
Undyne's chest flared up with anger. This scumbag had just admitted to taking the souls of young girls without their consent and now he wanted to make HER a zombie too?  
"NEVER! I WILL NEVER CONSENT TO HAVING MY SOUL PLACED IN A ROCK! I WILL NOT BECOME A ZOMBIE! TO HELL WITH YOUR CONTRACT!"  
She summoned many spears and impaled the creature with them.

She looked at the lifeless body of the human. Its true, she had wanted to take her soul so they could go to the surface. But seeing her in this state, something stirred up inside her. This was not right.

 _Not like this._

She ran to the bridge and jumped down. The entire place was covered in blackness. Undyne saw something gleaming in the distance. She ran to it and picked it up. Indeed, it was the gem she had thrown. It was good as new. Inside it, was a little red heart- the girl's soul. She checked the gem for any cracks. No sign of them.

A sudden, horrible thought occurred to her. She now had the human's soul. She could take it to Asgore. He would use it, along with the other six human souls, to become a god, shatter the barrier and get all monsters to the surface. After all, everyone waited their whole lives for this. As for the human, wouldn't it be better for her if she didn't find out about the Soul Gem deal. It seemed like gving the seventh and final soul to Asgore was the right thing to do.

Undyne went back after acquiring the Soul Gem. She took another look at the lifeless human before her. After doing some thinking, she bent down and closed the human's eyes.

The cat rabbit creature was right. It would be better if Homura Akemi didn't find out. Her soul could be used for a greater cause.

"Are you going to give the Soul Gem to her?" asked a familiar voice. Undyne turned around and to her displeasure, saw the creature standing right there.  
"YOU! How are you still alive? I killed you!"  
"We Incubators have lots of spares" said the creature. "As for my old body, I just ate it. Its what we do when something happens to our old body."  
Undyne imagined the scene and felt her stomach to somersaults. It was a good thing she hadn't been there to witness it.  
"You have other Magical Girls, right?" asked Undyne.  
"Yeah. All over the world there are thousands of Magical Girls."  
"Then perhaps, the loss of one wouldn't affect you."  
"Undyne, don't tell me you're going to..."  
"Its for her good as much as it is for others. You said it yourself. Its best if she doesn't find out she's a zombie."

She carried the human and took her all the way to her house. The creature followed her.  
"Why are you following me?" she asked. "Go away!"  
"So, I'm not wanted, huh? Okay then. I'll find my way back to the surface."

Saying this, he went away. Undyne sighed. She was glad the creature was out of her sight.

She went inside her house and placed the Soul Gem on her table human on her bed.  
"I'll...find a good burial place later" she said.

She got out of her armour and put on her regular clothes- a black tank top and blue pants. She went outside and kept the soul gem on her table and stared at it for a long time. Tomorrow, she'd give it to Asgore. He'd shatter the barrier with it and monsters can finally go to the surface. It was the only solution. It was the right thing to do.

So why did she feel so hesitant in doing it?

Under normal circumstances, she would've given the soul immediately. So why did she feel so much guilt over doing this? It was the right thing. It was what everyone had been waiting for.

"Oh, stop it Undyne! You're being hysterical!" she told herself, aloud. At that moment, she heard a knock on the door. She snapped out of her thoughts. That must be Papyrus! She hoped he hadn't heard her.

She opened the door. Sure enough, it was Papyrus.  
"Hi, Papyrus. Ready for your extra private, one-on-one training" she asked.  
"I sure am" said Papyrus. He was as excited as ever. "I wanted to bring a friend but they had to go somewhere."  
"That's fine. Come on in."  
Papyrus came inside.  
"My friend couldn't make it but she asked me to give this to you."  
He gave her a bone wrapped in red ribbon.  
"Thanks. I'll, put it in with the rest."  
Papyrus had given her many of those things already, which she kept in a drawer on the kitchen table.  
"Papyrus, listen. I have..."  
"Ohh, that's a pretty gem" he said, looking at the Soul Gem on the table. "It looks familiar somehow."  
"Well, actually that's..."  
"Oh, I know! It belongs to my friend!"  
"Your friend? The human?"  
"Yes!"  
"The human is your FRIEND?!"  
"Yes. She had to go, unfortunately. But if this gem is here, then she must be here. Where is she?"  
"She's...well..."  
"Oh, is she in your room? That's not fair, you never let ME in your room."

Before she could stop him, Papyrus bounded into her room.  
"Oh, she's here!" he said. "Hey, human! Its your friend, the great Papyrus! Do you remember me?"  
"Papyrus, don't! She's...sleeping."  
"Sleeping?"  
"Y-Yeah. She was...really tired from her long journey. So, uh, I offered to let her sleep. In my room."  
"Wow Undyne, you changed your mind about her quickly."  
"Yeah, she isn't so bad. Heh heh. Now, lets leave her alone. She's really tired."  
"Okay. Goodnight, human."  
Papyrus covered her with the blanket. Then, the two of them went out. Undyne didn't have the to tell Papyrus the truth. She imagined he wouldn't take it very well.

"I'm glad you changed your mind about the human" said Papyrus. "You see, she has anmesia."  
"You mean amnesia?"  
"Yeah. She doesn't remember anything about her life. Isn't that sad? So I let her go instead of capturing her. It would be sad if she died without knowing who she really is."  
Undyne was suddenly filled with a sense of guilt. That human was Papyrus' friend and besides, she had even saved a kid from falling off the bridge. How could she do this?  
"Papyrus...classes are cancelled for today" she said.  
"What? Why?"  
"I just...remembered I have to do something. Don't worry, we'll have them tomorrow."  
"Aw, okay. Goodbye then, Undyne."

Papyrus went out the front door. Undyne then took the Soul Gem and went to the bedroom. She then placed it in the human's hand. She stirred, then opened her eyes. She looked around her.  
"Where am I? What's going on?" she asked. "Undyne? Weren't we supposed to fight?"  
"I don't want to fight anymore" said Undyne. "I'll explain everything. Please try not to freak out."


	7. Chapter 7

**Done at last. Soo, Homura finally recovers all her memories here. Lets see how she reacts to them.**

 **Also, hope you like the hole made up backstory I gave her.**

Homura felt as though she had take a huge fall, which is appropriate since that is about what happened.

As Undyne rvealed to her the truth about her Soul Gem, Homura felt a thousand spears piercing her heart. She looked at her Soul Gem, where her essence was actually kept, then at her empty shell of a body.  
"Yes, I remember now" said Homura, when Undyne finished speaking. "Magical Girls trade their souls for their magic, in exchange for one wish which they will fight for their entire lives."  
"Only, they don't know they're trading their souls" said Undyne. "And that scumbag wanted to make ME give up my soul to become a Magical Girl. Well, its a good thing I chased him away. I hope Asgore kills him and takes his soul instead."  
"I doubt he even has one" said Homura.  
"Right" said Undyne. "So, uh, after all this are you still going to go to the surface?"  
"Yes" said Homura. "I am needed to fight Wraiths on the surface."  
"Good luck with that then" said Undyne.

Homura turned to leave, but Undyne stopped her at the door.  
"I...I know you and Asgore are fated to fight, and being a Magical Girl and all, you're much stronger than him, but...despite what I said, he's actually a pretty nice guy and, I'm sure he doesn't want to fight you. Talk to him. Maybe with enough persuasion, you'll be able to convince him."  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt him" said Homura.  
"Well then, goodbye and...sorry for tryng to kill you. I had no idea.."  
"Its quite alright" said Homura. She went out through the front door, then ran as fast as possible.

Homura was more shaken up about the truth than she let on. She did remember what Soul Gems really are once Undyne had told her. But it still shook her up to think the body she was in was an empty container and her actual sol was in some gemstone she uses to transform. She was glad Undyne had chased Kyubey away. Her vague suspicions of him were now confirmed. But it was still weird. Kyubey had been there throughout her journey. She was alone now. Travelling without him seemed weird.

 **Wouldn't it be better now,** the voice spoke for the first time in a long time, reminding her she wasn't alone after all, **if you hadn't remembered this? Memories can be a curse sometimes.  
** "If I had known, I wouldn't have made the deal with Kyubey" said Homura.  
 **Magical Girls are granted a wish in exchange for their powers, right?** asked the voice. **Then, what was your wish? What could you have wanted so desperately that you would be willing to put yourself in danger?  
** For some reason, the image of Madoka came to her mind. Was her wish for Madoka? She couldn't remember now, but she could vaguely remember her wish had something to do with Madoka.  
"I don't remember" said Homura. "All I know was that I was probably desperate at that time."  
 **I see. You are most interesting, Homura Akemi.  
**  
As she walked, memories of Homura's childhood came flooding back to her.

Homura had been born to parents Reika and Satoshi Akemi. She never saw her mother, because she was told that she had died giving birth to Homura, but she had seen her picture many times. Reika Akemi was a beauty, with black, silky hair, pearly complexion, soft, amethyst eyes and crimson lips. She had been told many times that she looked just like her mother.

Homura's early days were not easy for her. Her mother had died in childbirth and Homura herself was rushed to the ICU. The doctors had told her father, Satoshi Akemi, that she might not live long. Miraculously, Homura did survive, but that didn't make life more difficult for her. She had been diagnosed with a mysterious heart disease for which there was no cure. Her father was a busy man, but he loved Homura and looked after well, whenever he could. Homura had been a shy, frail girl and suffered fainting spells from time to time. There was not a day she wasn't surrounded by doctors and nurses. She was weaker than the other kids her age and as a result, could not join in their games and amusements. No kid even tried to go up to her. Homura was a lonely girl. Despite this, Satoshi loved and supported his daughter. He made her believe that she was worth something, that she was whole. Homura truly did love her father. However, life wouldn't be good to her for long. When Homura was 7, her father was killed in a fire that broke out at his office. Homura remembered when she found out, she just sat in her room and sobbed uncontrollably. She refused to eat or drink.

Afterwards, Homura was transferred to an orphanage. She hated it there. The kids frequently made fun of her, calling her thinks like "weakling". She missed her father terribly. She did not feel the same love at the orphanage that she did from her father. Her fainting spells got worse, and she would spend most of her school days at the nurse's office. Though she did not show it, she could tell the nurse was getting tired of having to tend to her every day. Her grades started falling. One day, when she was 13, she suddenly collapsed in the middle of a class. She was taken to the nurse, as usual. But when she didn't get better the teachers started to worry. She was transferred to a hospital, where she stayed for a year, until she came out of her coma. She was then told that she'd be going to a middle school in the nearby city of Mitakihara.

The memories stopped there. Homura came to the same crag where she had fought Undyne. There was a cave. Inside, was a board that read WELCOME TO HOTLAND.

Hotland truly lived up to its name. It was scorching hot. Lava was flowing everywhere. Homura immediately started sweating. She was glad now that she wore a short sleeved frock. If she had kept her school uniform, she would probably have died of a heat stroke. There was a station where Sans was fast asleep. Homura decided not to disturb him. She went across a bridge. There was a water cooler. Homura took a glass of water. She didn't realize how thirsty she was until she drank it. She took another glass. She would need as much as possible.

In front of Homura was a lab. To her right, was a path with two guards blocking it, not allowing anyone to enter.  
"What now?" she asked.  
 **Go into the lab,** said the voice.  
"What?"  
 **Just trust me. Go into the lab.**  
Homura did as the voice told her. The doors of the lab opened when she got close and she went inside. The lab was too dark to see anything.  
 **Go straight ahead** said the voice.  
Homura went ahead. Suddenly, Homura heard a door opening. She stood still. Someone came out and turned on the lights. She was a yellow, reptilian monster wearing a labcoat and glasses. She was only slightly shorter than Homura. She came towards Homura, then stopped when she saw her.  
"Oh...my god" she said, putting her hands to her head. "I didn't expect you to show up so soon. I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, its all messy and..."  
"So, you were expecting me?" asked Homura.  
"Ah, y-yeah, but not so soon, y-you see. A-Anyway, I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's Royal Scientist. B-b-but, ah, I'm not one of the bad guys. Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've been observing your journey. Your fights, your friendships, everything. Originally, I was going to stop you, but watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. So, now I want to help you instead. I can guide you around Hotland with my knowledge. I even know a way to Asgore's castle no problem."  
"Thank you" said Homura. "I'll need all the help I can get."  
"Wait, uh, there's just a teensy problem" said Alphys. "A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. You know... like, a robotic TV star? Well, recently, I decide to make some changes. You know, some small practical adjustments, like...anti...anti-human combat features. Of course when I saw you coming, I decided I should remove those features. Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake doing so, and...now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood? But, hopefully we won't run into him here."  
Suddenly, there is a clanging noise. The floor shakes. Homura gets her Soul Gem ready.  
"Did you hear that?" asked Alphys.  
The clanging sound continues.  
"Uh-oh."  
Homura is now ready to transform. The clanging continues, until a full on hole in the wall is created.  
"OH YES!" a loud, robotic voice yells. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"  
Lights surround the room. A spotlight shines on Homura. Mettaton is just a square shaped robot with arms and a wheel to move around. Homura swears she's seen him before.  
"EVERYONE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW GUEST!"  
Coloured streamers fall around Homura as applause is heard.  
"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, SWEETHEART?" asks Mettaton. "NO PROBLEM. THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY...OR YOU DIE!"

Homura is about to transform, but her Soul Gem is pulled out. There is a black box before her to display the answers.  
 **Okay, listen** , says the voice. **For this quiz you have to look at Dr. Alphys the whole time. She'll be giving you the answers.**  
Homura nods.  
"LETS START WITH AN EASY ONE" said Mettaton. "What's the prize for answering correctly", he says reading from the paper he has.  
The options is displayed on the box.

A. Money B. Mercy  
C. New car D. More questions

Homura looks at Dr. Alphys. Her hand shows the shape of a 'D'. She presses 'D'.  
"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!" said Mettaton. Homura would have guessed it even without Alphys helping her. "HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE! What's the king's full name?"

A. Lord Fluffybuns B. Fuzzy Pushover

C. Asgore Dreemurr D. Dr. Friendship

This time Homura did not even have to look at Alphys. She pressed 'C'.  
"CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!"  
 _I'm getting this,_ thought Homura. "ENOUGH ABOUT YOU, LETS TALK ABOUT ME! What are robots made of?"

A. Hopes and Dreams B. Metal and Magic  
C. Snips and snails D. Sugar and Spice

Alphys' hand now shows a 'B'. Homura presses 'B'.  
"TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH?" asks Mettaton.  
"I guess so" said Homura.  
"HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU."  
Mettaton goes on about two trains that depart from the same station simultanously. Homura isn't listening. New memories are flooding in. Memories of her becoming a Magical Girl, memories of that girl, Madoka Kaname- that's her full name. The answers on the box are displayed.

A. 31, 054 minutes B. 16, 232 minutes  
C. 32, 049 minutes D. 32, 058 minutes

Without thinking, she presses 'A' and gets electrocuted.  
"WRONG! WRONG! WROOONG!" Mettaton yells.  
The shock snaps her back to reality.  
 _Focus, Homura,_ she tells herself.  
"DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY" Mettaton tells her. "How many flies are there in this jar?"  
A jar containing flies is shown. Homura cannot count all of them. The options show:

A. 54 B. 53  
C. 55 D. 52

Alphys' hands show 'A', which she presses.  
"CORRECT, YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY!" said Mettaton. "LETS PLAY MEMORY GAME! What monster is this?"  
A picture of a frag monster is shown.

A. Froggit B. Whimsun  
C. Moldsmal D. Mettaton

Without thinking again, she presses 'A' and gets electrocuted again.  
"BOY THAT'S EMBARRASSING, HUH?" said Mettaton. The picture zooms out to show a picture of Mettaton wearing a shirt with Froggit in it.

"BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE? Would you smooch a ghost?"  
All the options said "Heck yeah!" Homura looked at Alphys. Unfortunately, even Alphys couldn't help her. She stood there, making a face at Mettaton. Homura swallowed her pride and pressed 'A'.  
"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT! HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE! How many letters are there in the name Mettaton?" The number of 'n's at the end kept increasing. Homura wasn't listening again. She gained more memories, of the enemies that existed before Wraiths- the Witches and of Walpurgisnacht, the most powerful Witch, the one that appeared in her dream. She did not even see the options this time. She pressed 'B' and got electrocuted again.  
"NO! CAN'T YOU READ?"

The next question had something to do with a dating simulation. But the noise was blurred out. Homura stood, contemplating the memories that just flooded her. None of it seemed real. She remembered the two Magical Girls she worked with, Mami and Kyoko. She remembered Sayaka, Madoka's best friend. Alphys was blabbing away that she knew the answer. But Homura isn't listening.  
"Madoka..." she whispers. Mettaton asks another question. She doesn't even look at the options. She presses 'B'. She becomes lost in her memories with Madoka.

"Homura, what's wrong?" Alphys asked. Homura shakes her head.  
"Alphys! Is the quiz show over?" she asks.  
"Y-Yes. Are you okay? You were spacing out."  
"I...I'm fine" said Homura.

She turned to go out, but Alphys stopped her.  
"L-let me give you my phone number" she said. "Th-then, maybe, if you need some help I could..." she stopped when she saw Homura's phone.  
"Where did you get that phone? Its ANCIENT!" she said.  
"Oh, I got this in the Ruins" Homura said. Her meeting with Toriel now seemed like it happened a lifetime ago.  
"But it doesn't even have texting. W-wait a second, please."  
She took Homura's phone and then performed some quick upgrades. By the time it was done, you couldn't tell it was supposed to be the same phone. It now looked like a typical smartphone.  
"Here, I upgraded it for you" she said. "It can do texting, items, its got a keychain. I even signed you up for the underground's no. 1 social network. Now we're officially friends. Ehehe hehe..."  
An awkward silence. Then, she quickly went behind the door, saying she had to go to the bathroom. Homura went out the door. She had no time for social networking sites. Not after all her memories were retrieved. All they revealed was how terrible her life really was.

Homura remembered her first day at Mitakihara Middle School. She was nervous, confused and anxious in her hospital bed. She wondered what the students were like. She was sure they wouldn't want to hang out with a sickly girl like her who faints at random intervals. She remembered seeing a little black cat, who seemed as lonely as her. When the day actually came, she was nervous. She tried to introduce herself, but all the new faces made it more difficult. Her teacher, Kazuko Saotome had told the students she was in the hospital for a year and had a lot to catch up on. Yet, she heard students whispering that she must be faking it to skip classes. But one student stood out in particular, the one that offered her kindness- she was Madoka Kaname, the nurse's aid. She remembered when Madoka was taking her to the hospital, she had called her by her first name, something no one had done before. She had even tried to help her using magic, until it got out of hand and Homura had ended up in the clinic.

Homura remembered feeling useless after her first day. That made her easy prey for Witches. She was lured into a Witch's labyrinth and would have been killed if it wasn't for Madoka and Mami. Madoka had told her not to tell their classmates her secret. She spent time with Madoka and Mami. There was a prediction that Walpurgisnacht, the most powerful Witch, would come to Japan. Madoka and Mami had prepared for their fight with her. On the day of the fight, Homura was told to stay inside. However, she was worried about Madoka. Madoka's cat, whose name was Amy, led her to Madoka. She found out that Mami had already died. Madoka told Homura not to worry and rushed off to fight Walpurgisnacht herself. She didn't survive either. Homura hadn't felt that devastated since her father's death. She looked at Madoka's body and sobbed for a long time, until Kyubey asked her what she's wish for. She remembered her wish now, the exact words:

 _I want to redo my meeting with Kaname-san. But this time, instead of her protecting me, I want to become strong enough to protect her!_

And her wish had been granted. She gained time-manipulation abilities. She could stop or go back in time. In the second timeline, she worked with Madoka and Mami. She improved her time manipulation powers. But when Walpurgisnacht came, she discovered the cold truth about Witches. After Walpurgisnacht's defeat, Madoka's soul gem had darkened too much and she turned into a Witch herself. Homura was forced to reset the timeline again. She had discovered that Kyubey was tricking them. She tried to tell the other girls, but they didn't believe her. They had to find out themselves when Sayaka turned into a Witch. This, unfortunately, drove Mami over the edge. She killed Kyoko and would have killed Homura had Madoka not killed her first. Madoka was understandably distraught at this. Homura offered her comfort. She hated to see Madoka cry. She had told Madoka that they would defeat Walpurgisnacht themselves. But of course, they failed again. Both their Soul Gems had darkened. They lay side by side. Homura had talked about becoming Witches together and laying waste to the world. Madoka had purified Homura's Soul Gem with her remaining Grief Seed and made Homura promise that she would go back to before Madoka contracted with Kyubey and stop her from being tricked. That promise changed Homura forever.

After resetting the timeline for the fourth time, Homura made a decision. She would stop Madoka from becoming a Magical Girl no matter what it takes. She would not rely on anyone anymore. After all, no one would believe in the future. She took care of the Witches herself, so as to not let Madoka fight. She had healed her eyes and her heart disease with her Soul Gem. Gone was the shy, frail girl who would suffer fainting spells. In her place, stood a stoic, distant girl, who was doing everything to save her only friend. She repeated the same month again and again, no matter how many resets it took, she was determined to save Madoka. She relived the same month over a hundred times, trying to save Madoka. But in the hundredth tieline, Madoka made a wish that changed everything. She wished to erase all Witches across all time and space. This wish made her a Goddess. She saved billions of Magical Girls, across all time and space. She would take on their burden. However, she was forgotten by everyone, even her own family. Everyone except Homura, who didn't want to forget her. On their last meeting, Madoka had given Homura her ribbons, as a sign of their promise that one day, they would be reunited. Then, she had disappeared. Ever since then, Homura had been fighting Wraiths. She fought with Mami and Kyoko. But she was lonely. She missed Madoka every second, and would cry at random times remembering her, remembering that her wish to save Madoka had been for nothing in the end.

Homura fell on her these memories didn't seem real. Was her life really this bad? Did a single good thing happen in her life?  
 **Having trouble adjusting to your memories?** the voice said. **Do you still wish you had them?**  
"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!" she screamed. "You are just supposed to help me through my journey. Please, stick to that!"  
While she was on a conveyor belt, a monster suddenly attacked her. It was just a little volcano with arms and legs. But it had picked a bad time to fight Homura. She instinctively transformed and set an arrow to her bow. With one shot of her arrow, the monster was dead. As its dust flowed through Homura's hands, she allowed herself to think of what she'd actually done. And when that happened, she fell to her knees and wept.

Because this was not a Witch or a Wraith she had killed. This was an innocent monster. And Homura had killed it in cold blood.


	8. Chapter 8

Homura was a monster. She truly felt that way. After the news of Vulkin- for that was the name of the monster she had killed- spread, she had less monsters attacking her. Whenever they saw her, they would hide and whisper to themselves. Homura couldn't blame them. The inhabitants of the underground may be called monsters, but the only true monster around was Homura.

She had never killed anything other than a Witch or Wraith before, or sometimes an Incubator. But she had attempted to. She remembered a time she tried to kill Sayaka Miki, if it meant making Madoka happy and her stomach turned. What was she thinking? Surely, she would bring more distress to Madoka by killing her best friend. And worse, Madoka might even hate her. After killing that monster, Homura was sure that Madoka now hated her. The voice had gone silent, just as Homura asked, speaking only at save points and to guide her.

Surprisingly her Soul Gem hadn't turned dark despite using magic. The darkness was almost negligible. The heart inside was shining brighter. Her LV had increased from killing that monster. As Flowey said, it made her soul stronger. Flowey...Homura could almost hear him gloating at her, saying _I told you so! I told you you would kill eventually!_ She clenched her fist even thinking of him. The thought of her satisfying him was jarring.

There were some puzzles ahead. Alphys helped her, or tried to help anyway. She only told her where the puzzles were. Figuring out how to solve them was easy. It was simply an arcade game where she had to move boxes to destroy the enemy ship. By the time Alphys called again, Homura had already finished the puzzle. Oh Alphys...did she know what Homura had done? _She deserves better than me,_ thought Homura.

Homura didn't see the last of Mettaton either. She met him three other times. Each time her would put her in a situation of life and death and Alphys would be there to help her. It made Homura feel even more guilty because Alphys thought she could be friends with her, and it made her dislike Mettaton even more.

The first time she met him, Homura was in a dark room where she couldn't see anything. She called Alphys for help.  
"D-don't worry" she had said. "I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up."  
When the lights came on, Homura found herself in a kitchen.  
"Huh? What is this?"  
"Oh no."  
Mettaton came out from under the counter, wearing a chef's hat.  
"OH YES! WELCOME BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW! PRE HEAT YOUR OVENS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPIE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING A CAKE! MY LOVELY ASSISSTANT HER WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE HER A BIG HAND!"  
Streamers fell from the ceiling and applause was heard. That did not make her feel any better.  
"I'm not in the mood for this, Mettaton!" she said. "So thanks, but no thanks!"  
She turned to go away, but Mettaton stopped her.  
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? THE INGREDIENTS ARE OVER THERE!"  
He pointed to a table.  
"WE'LL NEED SOME SUGAR, MILK AND EGGS! GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART!"  
"Ugh!"  
Homura figured she could get this over with quickly. She went over to the table and got the ingredients- sugar, milk and eggs. In earlier timelines, she and Madoka used to do this sort of thing with Mami. Mami Tomoe was a good cook, but Homura developed a rocky relationship with her in later timelines. She put the ingredients on the counter next to Mettaton.  
"There! I've got your ingredients! Now just let me-"  
"NOT SO FAST, SWEETHEART! YOU'VE ONLY GOT MILK, SUGAR AND EGGS! BUT YOU'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!"  
He took out a chainsaw.  
"A HUMAN SOUL!"  
He edged closer to her with the chainsaw. Homura closed her eyes and accepted her fate. This was what she deserved, anyway. Suddenly, she got a call. It was from Alphys. She put it on speaker.  
"HELLO? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE!"  
"W-wait a second" Alphys said. "Couldn't you make a...couldn't you use a...couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?"  
"A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN USE A DIFFERENT, NON HUMAN INGREDIENT? WHY?"  
"Uhh...what if someone's...vegan?"  
"VEGAN?"  
"I mean.."  
"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS! ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL SUBSTITUTE! A CAN OF WHICH IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!"  
Ahead, there was a counter with a can.  
"WELL DARLING, WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?"  
There was something about this whole deal that seemed off. But she just went over to the counter to get the can. Suddenly, the counter started rumbling. A horde of other counters rose and the counter with the can was rising up.  
"BY THE WAY, THIS SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE!" Mettaton said. "IF YOU DON'T GET THE CAN WITHIN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE, WE'LL HAVE TO STICK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN! BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIFUL!"  
There was obviously no way she could get there within one minute. Unless she used her wings. She was about to summon her Soul Gem when Alphys called.  
"Oh no, there's not enough time to climb up!" she said.  
"Don't worry, I have-"  
"F-f-fortunately, while I was upgrading your phone, I added a few...features. You see that button that says 'JETPACK'? Watch this."  
Her phone went out of her hand and was remolded into a jetpack. Homura allowed herself just the tiniest hint of a smile at that idea. The jetpack was strapped to Homura's back.  
"There! You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!"  
Homura began floating. Mettaton kept throwing things like crumbs and flour to slow her down, but she kept pace. In the end, she managed to reach the top.  
"MY MY. IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME!" said Mettaton. "BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLINT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH I LOATHE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU WITHOUT HER!"  
Homura wanted to tell him she had wings so she could still float up there, but she kept quiet.  
"WELL, TOODLES!" He floated away.  
"What about the-" Homura began.  
"OH, HAVEN'T YOU WATCHED A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I MADE THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO FORGET IT!"  
Homura's face turned red with anger. He had sent her up there for nothing? She wanted to shoot an arrow at him, but she immediately pushed that thought away. First of all, it wouldn't pierce through his metal body and secondly, she had already killed one monster.

She gently floated back down. The jetpack remolded itself back into a phone. Alphys called her.  
"Wow! We...we did it! We really did it! Great job out there, team!"  
"I owe you, Alphys" she said, not telling her about her wings. "But, why did you add a jetpack feature on my phone? Did you know this would happen?"  
Alphys was silent for a while. Then she said, "Oh, just a hunch that you'd need it. Ha ha. Well then, lets keep heading forward."  
Ahead, there was a giant structure in the distance. Alphys called to tell her what it was.  
"S-see that building there? That's the CORE, the source of all power in the Underground. It converts geothermal energy to magical electricity by...anyway, that's where we're heading. Inside the CORE is an elevator to Asgore's castle. And from there, you can go home."

 _Home, huh?  
_  
Homura wasn't sure she'd call the surface "home" anymore. Before she regained her memories, she thought she had a family to go back to, friends who would be worried for her, and an important role to play as a Magical Girl. Now, she wasn't so sure. She had no family and she wasn't sure she'd consider Kyoko and Mami as friends. Kyoko was okay, but she'd had rough relations with Mami in later timelines. If she reached the surface, she would continue doing her thankless job of fighting Wraiths. She wished she still had her time powers, so she could go back to when she fell into the Underground and live with Toriel.

 _Where am I even going anymore? Why do I keep doing this?_

Eventually, she came to another dark room. She gave Alphys a ring.  
"Another dark room? D-don't worry. M-my hacking skills have got things covered."  
In no time, the lights were on. Homura seemed to be in a screen. She looked out and saw a reporting office for a news channel. Mettaton was sitting at a desk.  
"Are you serious?" said Alphys.  
"OHHH YES!" he said in his annoying, loud voice. "GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE! BRAVE CORRESPONDENT, PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN VIEWERS ARE WAITING!"  
Homura obviously didn't want any part in it, but she went for the first interesting thing she fount- a present, wrapped in a red ribbon.  
"OH MY! ITS A PRESENT! AND ITS ADDRESSED TO YOU, DARLING! AREN'T YOU JUST BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT! WHAT COULD BE INSIDE? WELL, NO TIME LIKE THE 'PRESENT' TO FIND OUT!"  
"I guess I'll report this one" said Homura.  
"ATTENTION VIEWERS, OUR CORRESPONDENT HAS FOUND...A PRESENT! AND ITS TIME FOR THE UNBOXING VIDEO! LETS FIND OUT WHAT'S INSIDE! "  
Reluctantly, she undid the ribbons and opened the box. When she found out what was inside, she recoiled in horror. For inside as a round, black bomb.  
"THAT ROUND, BLACK SHAPE...COULD IT BE? LOOKS LIKE CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR! IF SANTA GAVE PEOPLE BOMBS INSTEAD OF PRESENTS! REALLY THOUGH. A BOMB. WHAT A THOUGHTFUL GIFT! THEY EVEN DECIDED TO LIGHT IT FOR YOU! BUT DON'T GET TOO EXCITED! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!"  
The set fell apart and she was in another room in Hotland. Everything there seemed to be a bomb.  
"OH MY, IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB!"  
The small, white dog's tail lit.  
"THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE...BRAVE CORRESPONDENT, IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE THESE BOMBS WITHIN TWO MINUTES, THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS!"  
Luckily, Alphys called at the right time.  
"D-don't worry. I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone. Use the 'defuse' option when the bob is in the 'defuse zone'. N-now, go get 'em."  
A bomb defusing program on a phone? _Alphys really thinks of everything._  
There was no time to waste. Homura went around the room, defusing the bombs. The 'defuse zone' was a green rectangle. When the bomb came there, Homura pressed the defuse button. The voice even guided her as to where the bombs were. It seemed it had been through this a hundred times. In two minutes, all the bombs were defused.  
"WELL DONE DARLING!" said Mettaton. "YOU DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T, THE BIG BOMB WOULD EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! NOW, IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD, IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE DARLING!"  
As she had done before, Homura stood there, accepting her fate. But the bomb did not explode.  
"AH! IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF!"  
Homura's phone rang.  
"Th-that's because while you were monologuing, I...I...f...fix...I change.."  
"OH NO! YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS!"  
"Yeah! That's what I did!"  
"CURSES! IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, HUMAN! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING!"  
Mettaton went away.  
"W-Wow...W-we really showed him, huh."  
"Yeah, I guess. But, uh, why a bomb defusing program? Did you know this would happen too?"  
"N-no, no. I just figured you'd need it. I know I seemed weird at first, but I really think I'm getting more...uh more...more confident in guiding you. So don't worry about that b-big dumb robot. I'll protect you from him. And if it came down to it, w-we could turn...um...never mind. Later."

Homura went ahead, but she couldn't help but feel that something was off. A jetpack and a bomb-defusing program was too specific upgrades for a phone. She got the feeling that Alphys and Mettaton sounded like they were actors reading lines from a script. And Alphys' stammers sounded more like she was forgetting her lines. Could Alphys have planned this whole thing? She shook that thought away.  
 _What are you thinking, Homura? She's helped you so much. You don't deserve her._

She saw the CORE in the distance again and was reminded of her mission to get to the surface. But was that really where she  
wanted to go now? Just then, Alphys rang again.  
"Uh, I noticed you've been kind of quiet lately. Are you nervous about meeting the king?"  
"Not really. The truth is, I..." it was hard for her to tell Alphys. If she came to know, even she might start hating or fearing Homura. A single tear came out from her eye.  
"Never mind" she said.  
"D-don't worry about it. The king is a really nice guy. I'm sure you can talk to him and w-with your human soul, you can pass through the barrier. So, n-no worrying, right? J-just forget about it and smile."  
She hung up.  
 _If she knew about the crime I committed, she wouldn't tell me to smile._

She went on ahead. Eventually, she came across a strange room. It was filled with cobwebs and a sickly sweet scent permeated the air. The room seemed to be a home for spiders. As a child, she was afraid of spiders. But after becoming a Magical Girl she could only look back and laugh at the pathetic fear. A small creature with eight legs was nothing compared to a hundred Walpurgisnachts. The spiders started talking as soon as she entered.

"Ahuhuhuhu...did you hear what they just said?"  
"They said a human would come down here."  
"I heard that they hate spiders."  
"I heard that they love to stomp on them."  
"I heard that they love to tear their legs off."

She came to a set of cobwebs stuck together. Reluctantly, she put one foot in them. It was incredibly sticky. She put the other foot. Then, she started to walk. It was not easy.  
"I heard..." a different voice said, a female voice. "That they're awfully stingy with their money." A cobweb appeared in the center and in it was a spider, larger than the others with five eyes, six arms and two legs. She had short hair tied in twin pigtails. Homura recognized her. She was selling baked goods, but Homura just didn't have time for that so she walked past. "Ahuhuhuhu. You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, deary? Ahuhuhu... I disagree with that notion. I think your taste... Is exactly what this next batch needs!"

Homura's Soul Gem was ripped from her ring. Some of her old childhood fear returned. She couldn't move even if she tried. She was frozen to the spot.  
"Don't look so blue, deary" she said. She poured a strange purple liquid from the teacups she was holding. They surrounded the web and Homura. "I think purple is a better look on you. Ahuhuhuhu!" The webs turned purple, along with Homura. But she was as pale as ever. In all her life, she never thought this fear would return. She thought she was over her weak self. But it seemed to be part of her, whether she liked it or not.  
 **Homura! Snap out of it!** the voice chided her. **Try to transform.  
** The spider-lady sent other spiders along the strips Homura was trapped in, diagonally. Homura snapped out of her fears and moved up and down the strips to avoid the attacks. In the process, she managed to get her hands out. She cupped her Soul Gem in her hand and transformed. Once she was done, she was out of the web.  
"What? How?"  
Homura summoned her bow. She set an arrow to it.  
"N-no! Wait! W-we'll give you free pastries!"  
She wasn't listening. She let go of the bow's string. The arrow hit the spider in the chest.  
"Ah" she said. "I guess, your taste really is too refined for us."  
Saying this, she turned to dust.

Homura held out her hands and let the dust flow through them. She could vaguely make out the other spiders whispering, she knew they were not good things. This was the second monster she had killed. Her LV was now 3.  
"I'm sorry" she whispered. "I'm sorry, Madoka."

She looked back and saw a single spider crawling and placing a flower in the place where its leader died. A single tear came out of he eye but she wiped it away as she went on.  
"OH, THAT HUMAN!" said a familiar voice. Homura only groaned in annoyance. "COULD IT BE...MY ONE TRUE LOVE?"  
Mettaton came down from the tower he was in. He was wearing a blue dress. He started singing a song about and tried to dance with Homura, but she pushed him away.  
"SO SAD..." he said when the song was over., though he didn't seem very sad. "SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON."  
He took out a remote with a red button. He pressed the button. "WELL, TOODLES."  
A trapdoor opened and she fell down.  
"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH! O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE!"  
Homura groaned even louder. She remembered this puzzle from Snowdin. It was the last puzzle Papyrus had given her. He had tried to explain the rules to her. Homura didn't understand, so Papyrus merely left the rules at the other side and went away. So Homura didn't do that puzzle.  
"EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE WILL SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL... ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO?""  
That's when Homura remembered where she had seen Mettaton. He was with Papyrus when he activated the puzzle. Only, he didn't talk or move, so Homura assumed he was just a machine.  
"THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU? GREAT... THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM! OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS..."  
Flames activated on the other side.  
"YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA... HA... HA! MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!"  
Homura was sure that wasn't how grief worked. She went on a conveyor belt that took her to the tiles. She stepped on a pink tile. It did nothing. Then on a green tile. It made a sound, but nothing else happened. Then on an orange one. Nothing happened. The purple tile pushed her to the next tile, which was a blue tile. It was a water tile. Then she went down to the two other pink tiles, then the two blue tiles. She couldn't go on the red tiles, so she went down. It seemed to be going well until she stepped on a yellow tile, which gave her an electric shock. She had just been in water, after all. After that, she tried to figure out where to go. Unfortunately, time was up quickly.  
"OOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!"  
The flames appeared on either side of her.  
" HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING!"  
The flames closed in on her.  
"THEY'RE CLOSING IN!"  
The flames came closer.  
"GETTING! CLOSER!"  
The flames now came dangerously close to her. She didn't do anything. After all, her name meant "flame". It would do her well if she died via flames. She deserved it, anyway, after just killing another monster.  
" OH MY! ANY MINUTE NOW!"  
 _I'm not afraid._  
Suddenly, Alphys called.  
"Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!"  
The flames disappeared. Oh Alphys...she did her best to help Homura. Even though Homura knew she didn't deserve it.  
" OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE GREAT DOCTOR ALPHYS! ... THA-"  
"That's right! Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us... Not as long as we work together! Your puzzle's over... Now go home and leave us alone!"  
"PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER! WELL, DARLING... THAT MONSTER... IS ME!"

Homura's Soul Gem was ripped out of her hand again.  
"THIS IS IT, DARLING! SAY GOODBYE!"  
She was about to transform, when Alphys called again. Mettaton let her answer the phone.  
"H-Hey! Th-this seems bad, but don't worry! Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone...! You see that yellow button...? Go to this phone's ACT menu and press it!"  
She searched for the ACT menu till she found it. When she pressed it, she found a yellow button. She pressed it. In that moment, her Soul Gem turned yellow and then pointed at Mettaton. The heart inside it turned upside down.  
"Now press Z!"  
She founf a "Z" button on the phone. She pressed it once. The heart fired a yellow projectile that seemed to damage Mettaton. Surprisingly, her Soul Gem didn't break in the process. She repeatedly pressed Z, firing the projectile bullets.  
"OOOH! OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC. WHATEVER." He left immediately.

"L-looks like we beat him. Wow. You did a really good job out there" said Alphys.  
"Its thanks to you, Alphys."  
"What? Oh no, I mean...You were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone."  
"If it wasn't for those 'silly programs' I wouldn't be alive right now" said Homura. "I...I really don't deserve you, Alphys."  
"W-what? No, d-don't say that. I..I enjoy helping you. You know, before I met you, I didn't really...I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I felt l-like a total screw up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without...w-without ending up letting everyone down. B-but, guiding you has made me feel...a lot better about myself. So...thanks for letting me help you."  
"No problem, Alphys."  
She still couldn't bear to tell the truth.  
"A-anyway, we're almost to the CORE. Its just past MTT Resort. Come on! Lets do this!"

Homura went ahead. At the end of Hotland was the MTT Resort. Sans was waiting out there.  
"Hey. Long time no see." he said.  
Homura couldn't bring herself to look at him.  
"I heard you're going to the CORE. How about getting some dinner?"  
"N-no thanks" said Homura.

The inside of the resort looked relaxing. There was a fountain of Mettaton in the middle. There were monsters waiting to make reservations. There was an elevator which was not working. She wasn't interested in any of that. She went directly upstairs where she came face to face with the CORE entrance. She saw two shadowy figures which ran away when they saw her. Her phone rang.  
"Huh? Who are they?" said Alphys. "N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here..Oh well! We can't worry about that now!"  
She went inside the CORE. The inside was mostly blue. In the middle was an elevator.  
"Ready? This is it!" said Alphys. "Take the elevator to the top of the CORE."  
She tried but the elevator was not working. She called Alphys.  
"The elevator isn't working" she said.  
"What? Oh well, go to the left."  
She did that. A shadowy figure appeared before her.  
"W-watch out!" said Alphys.  
A monster wearing a magician's hat, sporting a jester's hat for clothes and wearing boots though it seemingly didn't have legs attacked her. She was about to transform when she heard the voice.  
 **There is another way,** it said. **First, clear your mind. Think of anything that makes you happy. And then try to talk. He'll chatter to himself until he's satisfied.  
** Homura didn't want to kill anymore monsters. She'd already killed two of them. So she did what the voice told her. She tried to think of an ideal life for herself- her parents were still alive. She didn't have her heart disease. She would go to school and see Madoka greeting her. Sayaka and Kyoko would be messing around while Mami tried to stop them. A tear came ut from her eye when she realised that would never be achieved. An orb deployed crosses that came towards her Soul Gem. She managed to avoid them. Then, she tried to talk.  
"Um, excuse me.." she began.  
But it interrupted her and chattered to itself in incomprehensible language. Then, it went away.  
"Thank you" she whispered to the voice.  
"Th-that was close" said Alphys. "W-why are there so many monsters? I-I mean, its no problem, r-r-right? W-w-we've just got to keep heading forward."  
She went forward. Ahead, there was a switch on the wall. There was an orb generating electricity blocking the way.  
"L-looks like you have to press that switch to proceed" said Alphys. "But when you do, those lasers will activate. Umm...looks like they'll come in this order. Orange, orange, blue. Move until the last one. Got it?"  
Homura nodded. She pressed the switch. But the lazers came in the opposite order- blue, blue, orange.  
"Oh my god, are you hurt?" asked Alphys. "I...I'm so sorry. I gave you the wrong order. Everything's going to be fine, okay? J-just keep heading to the right."

Homura did as told and came to a crossroads.  
"A crossroads, huh?" said Alphys. "T-try heading to the right."  
Homura did, but Alphys called again.  
"W-wait, no, try heading up."  
She went up and found another monster. It was a knight.  
 **This one's easy** , said the voice. **Just sing a lullaby.**  
Homura hadn't sung before, but she remembered something her father used to sing to her and sang. After three turns, the monster fell asleep.  
"Sorry, I...I thought that...lets try the right path instead."  
Homura went right. On the right, there was a bridge with more lazers.  
"M-more lasers? Okay, I...I...I won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lazers for you."  
Some time passed. The lazers remained intact.  
"Th...they're not turning off. I can't turn them off, I...i-i-its okay. I have this under control. I'm going to turn off the p-power for the whole node. Then you can walk across."  
She did so and Homura walked across. But a few steps ahead and Alphys called again.  
"W-WAIT! STOP!  
The power turned on and the lazers reactivated. Homura stood absolutely still.  
"The power...its turning itself back on. D-damn it! This isn't supposed to happen. I-I'm gonna turn it off. When it turns off, move a little and then stop, okay? You won't get hurt."  
She did just that and eventually, got across.  
"S-see? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control."

Ahead there was another crossroads- up, right and left. There was a save point too.  
"Okay, now you should...you should...I don't know" said Alphys. "This doesn't look like my map at all. I'm sorry, I have to go. I...I..."  
Alphys hung up. Homura was on her own now. She went up to the save point and touched it.

 **The air is filled with the smell of ozone. It fills you with determination.**  
 **Homura LV 3**  
 **Hotland- Core Branch**

"Oh, yeah" said Homura. "I've still got you."  
 **Don't tell me you forgot about me so soon,** said the voice.  
"I...I..."  
 **Don't worry. I'll still guide you. Go north.**  
Homura fought her tears and did as the voice said. Despite all that she did and the things she said to it as well it was still willing to help her.  
 **There are some monsters up ahead,** said the voice. **They're hard to defeat but I can tell you how to fight them without killing them.**  
"Thank you" said Homura.

There was a bridge up north. Monsters attacked her from time to time. But Homura managed to get them away without killing them. She had the voice to thank for that. At the end of the bridge was a switch. She pressed it, then went all the way back. She tried the elevator. It was working. She used it and it led her to another room. There was an entrance that led to another room. She went inside. She found a platform with Mettaton waiting for her.  
"You!" she exclaimed.  
"THERE YOU ARE, DARLING. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE "MALFUNCTIONING" ROBOT. ... NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME."  
"Don't you dare say anything about Alphys!" exclaimed Homura. "She's been helping me! She's a good person!"  
"OR IS SHE? YOU SEE, AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT."  
"That's a lie!" exclaimed Homura. "You're just saying that to make me dislike her! All of this is a lie!"  
Yet deep down, Homura knew that it was true. She did have her suspicions about Alphys and now it seems they'd been confirmed. But she didn't want to believe it.  
"ITS ALL TRUE, DARLING. AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR "BATTLE," SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO "DEACTIVATE" ME, "SAVING" YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE. ... OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"  
The door was locked. There was pounding on the door.  
"H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on!? Th-th-the door just locked itself!" said Alphys.  
Homura couldn't hear her. She was still taking all this in. All of the times Alphys helped her...she truly was just an actress reading lines off her script. Why couldn't she have seen it? She HAD seen it, but she never thought it to be true.  
The platform began to rise.  
"SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD! REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW... "ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"

Homura's Soul Gem was ripped out again.  
"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!"  
Homura tried to shoor the projectiles again but they were deflected.  
"THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"  
Homura now realized Mettaton had told the truth. She got to her knees and wept bitterly.  
"OH COME ON! NO NEED TO CRY!" said Mettaton. "THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS HARD TO FACE. LISTEN, I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. NO MATTER WHAT SPECIAL POWERS YOU HAVE, YOU'RE STILL WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY. BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION! THEN USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER... AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS... NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME! GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"  
"So you don't care, huh?" said Homura, wiping away her tears. "All you care about is your stupid show! You don't care if people suffer or die. You know what, Mettaton? YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS THE INCUBATORS!"  
"INCUBATORS? WHAT'S THAT?" asked Mettaton.  
Homura didn't care that Mettaton didn't know what Incubators were. She transformed.  
"WOW! YOU CHANGED YOUR CLOTHES! THAT'S IMPRESSIVE, I'LL GIVE YOU THAT."  
"I didn't just change my clothes" said Homura. "I'm a Magical Girl! My magic makes me different from an ordinary human."  
"A MAGICAL GIRL? OOOHHH, I'VE HEARD OF YOU. MAGICAL GIRLS SHOULD BE HAPPY. WHY ARE YOU FROWNING?"

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Alphys.  
" U..uh... I can't see what's going on in there, but... D-d-don't give up, okay!? Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton... It's... um... it's... This is a work-in-progress, so don't judge it too hard... But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, umm... press th-th-th-the switch... He'll be... um... He'll be... Vulnerable."  
"How do I know this isn't another trick?" asked Homura bitterly.  
"I...its not. You have to trust me, Homura, please."  
"Alright. But just this once."  
She turned to Mettaton.  
"I think there's a mirror behind you" she said.  
"OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!"  
Sure enough, there was a switch behind. Homura pressed it.  
"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?"  
Mettaton started shaking uncontrollably. A white light filled the room.

"Ohhhh my", he said. He was no longer yelling. "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments... ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"  
Mettaton was no longer a box with arms. He now had jet black hair with a fringe that covered his right eye, pale skin, and a pink chest piece. In the middle was a heart which the voice told her was his weakness.  
"Thank you" said Homura. She summoned her bow and set an arrow to it. She aimed right at the heart, then let it go. The arrow made its mark.  
"Ah...I see" said Mettaton. "I guess was wrong about you. Maybe Magical Girls...are different from normal humans. You really are strong enough to get past Asgore...maybe even stronger than him. D-don't worry about me. Alphys can always repair me. I'm sorry...Homura Akemi. I didn't even get to perform for you."  
A white light filled the room and an explosion was heard.

The door unlocked. Alphys came in.  
"I... I managed to open the lock! Are you two..." she stopped when she saw Mettaton. "Oh my god." She went towards him.  
" Mettaton! Mettaton, are you...H... hey... D... don't worry about it... I can always... I can always build a different robot!"  
"You tricked me, didn't you?" said Homura. "All along you were just an actress. You pretended to help me when you were the one who reactivated the puzzles."  
"I...I'm sorry." said Alphys. "I just...I was so fascinated by you, and...I just wanted to...I'm sorry, Homura."  
Homura didn't say anything. She went through the door. There was an elevator that led to Asgore's castle. Before she went, she turned back and saw Alphys. She almost got angry but then remembered Alphys had helped her defeat Mettaton. Plus Homura had done worse.  
"I forgive you" she said.  
"Wh-what?" asked Alphys.  
"I forgive you" Homura repeated. "Besides, I've done worse."  
"But...how can you forgive me? I lied to you."  
"Do you know I've killed two monsters?" asked Homura.  
"What?"  
"You haven't done much compared to what I've done."  
"You have no idea." whispered Alphys.  
Before Homura could go, Alphys called her again.  
"I lied to you about something else" she said. "A human soul alone isn't enough to cross the barrier. To go home, you'll have to kill him. You'll have to take Asgore's soul. I'm sorry."  
Saying this, Alphys ran away.

Homura went inside the elevator and waited to reach the castle. She decided there what she was going to do.


	9. Chapter 9

New Home, as the place was called, was an entirely grey setting. From the long corridors, Homura could see building of what she assumed was the capital, but she couldn't find a single monster around. The silence was overpowering. It gave her a sense of loneliness.

 **You were doing so well** said the voice.  
Homura remembered killing Mettaton.  
"I did it again, didn't I?" she asked. "I never learn."  
 **Hmm...but there is still hope for you. If you don't kill Asgore...  
** "NO! There's no hope for me!" exclaimed Homura. "I'm a monster!"  
 **Wouldn't your friend tell you not to lose hope?  
** "Well, Madoka must hate me now" said Homura. "There's no way she'd still like me after what I've done. I've got nothing to live for anymore. I've got no family...all I'm good for now is fighting Wraiths. And you...why do you keep sticking around? Why do you keep following me after all I've done, after all I've said to you?"  
 **Because I have no choice,** said the voice. **You fell down in the exact same spot I was buried. I could feel determination in your soul, so I came back to life as a ghost. I'm tied to your soul now, and I have to guide you through the underground, provide you with save points. But that isn't my only reason for sticking around.**  
"Then what's the other reason?"  
 **Because I had the tiny hope that you could be a good person. I didn't feel anything for you at first. As far as I could tell, I had to do my job guiding you. But I saw your dreams, your visions. I saw how you tried not to hurt anyone, despite having an advantage. I saw you make that promise to Sans. I don't know your story, but I know you've had it hard.** **Even when you killed, you felt regret. I had hope that you would be different from Frisk.  
** "Frisk? Oh, the human that came down here before."  
 **Yeah. I did this for them, many times before. They were a good person at first but then they kept resetting, erasing everyone's memories and everything they've worked so hard for, in pursuit of an unattainable goal. Then, one day, they snapped. They killed anyone and anything that got in their way. Because of them, I was corrupted. I though...I thought murder was the right way. I even ended up hurting my best friend.  
** "I'm sorry" said Homura. "I'm sorry I wasn't so different after all."  
 **There's still some hope for you,** said the voice. **Listen. As you know, you will face Asgore.**  
"I know" said Homura. "Don't worry. I won't lay a finger on him."  
 **You have to. This is one fight where talking will not work. He doesn't want to fight you, but he has to, so he'll try not to listen to you. You're a Magical Girl. You have an advantage. You have to transform and fight him till he's weakened. Then, you can spare him.**  
"I see" said Homura. "Thank you. Thank you for all your help."  
 **You know, maybe you are better than Frisk. Frisk never acknowledged me. But you do.**  
"You've helped me a lot. For that I must thank you."

Homura allowed herself a smile. It was true she was thankful to this mysterious voice for helping her. But her actions had to have consequences. She had to atone for her sins. She had decided what to do and was going to stick to that. After a long walk in the corridors, she came to a room that looked familiar to her. Then, she realized it was Toriel's house. Everything looked the same, except it was all grew and there were vases with golden flowers. The stairs were padlocked, with a note that said:

Howdy. I'm in the garden. If you need to get anything off your chest, please don't hesitate to come. Keys are in the kitcchen and hallway.

She found two keys in the kitchen and hallway respectively. She fitted them into the lock and opened it. She then went down the stairs. Monsters appeared, but not to attack her. Instead, they told her a story, which went like this:

A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called for help. The king's son, Asriel, heard the human's cry. He took them back to the castle. Over time, they became like siblings. The king and queen treated the human like their own child. The Underground was full of hope. Then, one day, the human fell ill. They had one last wish- to see the flowers in their village. The next day, they died. Wracked by grief, Asriel absorbed the human's soul and became a powerful being. He crossed the barrier and reached the center of the village. He placed the human's body there. Suddenly, screams rang out from the village. The villagers had thought Asriel had killed the child. So they attacked him with all they had. Asriel had the power to destroy them all. But he didn't. He just smiled and went back to the castle, where he collapsed. His dust spread throughout the castle. The kingdom fell into despair. The king decided to end the monsters' suffering. He stated that every human that falls down must die. With enough human souls, the barrier could be broken. The monsters would be free.  
They believed King Asgore could give them hope.

The monsters telling the story didn't know Homura was a human. They told her that she should be happy and she'd be free.  
That wasn't entirely false. The King WOULD set her free. Free from her miserable life.

After that, she came to another room. It had a yellow hue, adorned with windows. She stopped when she found a familiar, shadowed figure waiting for her. Bells rang out.  
"So you finally made it" the figure said. "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together...you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? Its an acronym. It stands for execution points. A way of quantifying the pain you've inflicted upon others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'Level of Violence'. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others...Now, you understand. It's time to begin your judgement. Look inside yourself? Have you really done the right thing?"  
That was an easy question to answer.  
"No, I haven't" she said. "I've killed three monsters when I could've avoided it. For that I deserve punishment."  
The shadowed figure then revealed itself to be Sans.  
"Well, at least you're honest with yourself" he said. "There's no punishment here. Only judgement. To be fair, those situations might have been in self defense."  
"That still doesn't justify my actions" said Homura. "I misused the advantage I had over others."  
"Your mistakes can't disappear, Homura. But you can try your best to be a better person next time, to not repeat those mistakes."  
Homura nodded.  
"I will atone for my sins" she said.  
She went ahead, but Sans called her.  
"Whatever you do next...don't forget our promise, okay?"  
She nodded. Then, she went ahead.

After that room, was a long corridor. There was a save point there. She reached out and touched it. This time, the voice didn't say anything, though her progress was saved. The sign by the door read: Throne Room. Taking a deep breath, she went inside.

The throne room looked like a garden of its own. It was filled with golden flowers. The air was permeated with their scent. There was a throne in the middle. The sound of birds chirping could be heard. And the King was watering the flowers. He had long, blonde hair that extended to form a beard, huge goat horns and was wearing a purple robe. He was singing a song as he watered the flowers.  
"Dum de dum" he hummed.  
"Excuse me" said Homura.  
"Oh. Is someone there? Just a moment. I have almost finished watering these flowers."  
After a few moments, he turned towards Homura.  
"Howdy!" he said. "How can I..."  
He stopped short and took a few steps back when he saw her.  
"My name is Homura Akemi. I presume you know why I am here."  
"Oh, uh, yes."  
He turned away, then looked at her again.  
"I so badly want to say 'would you like a cup of tea?' But, you know how it is."  
Homura nodded in pity. He really didn't want this. He roamed around aimlessly.  
"Nice day today, huh?" he asked. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. Perfect weather for a game of catch."  
After another awkward pause, Asgore spoke again.  
"A small, fluffy creature passed by some time back. Called itself 'Kyubey' and asked me where the barrier was. I said he couldn't go back to the surface, but showed him to the barrier anyway. He went through the barrier without any trouble. Strange, huh? It was pretty cute though."  
 _You have no idea how much suffering that creature has caused me,_ she thought. But she didn't say it out loud.  
He roamed around again, then looked at her.  
"You know what we must do" he said. "When you are ready, come into the next room."  
He then went to the next room. There was a save point just outside the room. After saving, Homura followed him.

The next room looked like the place where she fell, except there were no golden flowers.  
"How tense.." said Asgore. "Just think of it like...a visit to the dentist."  
Saying this, he went away. Homura followed him till they came to a strange door with a symbol carved on top of it.  
"Are you ready?" he asked.  
"Yeah" said Homura.  
"Really? If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either."  
He then went into the room. Homura followed him there after saving.

A strange light shone in the room. Homura saw the exit to the outside world, which seemed to be going farther and farther away.  
"This is the barrier" said Asgore. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If...if by chance you have any unfinished business, please do what you must."  
 **Take this chance to transform** said the voice. This time, Homura didn't pay it any heed. She just took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready."  
"...I see" said Asgore. "This is it, then."  
He turned to Homura.  
"Ready?"  
She nodded. Seven containers emerged. Each container had a human soul. One of them was empty. Homura's eye caught one of the containers. All of the human souls were in the form of little coloured hearts- yellow, orange, purple, blue, light blue. But there was one that was in the form of a green gem. Inside it was a little green heart. Her eyes widened in realisation. It was a Soul Gem. A Magical Girl had been down here, and even she couldn't defeat Asgore. That's how Flowey knew about Magical Girls and their sufferings.  
"That belonged to the last human that fell down here" said Asgore, noting her interest in the Soul Gem. "She was a young girl just like you. She was different from other humans. Her soul was in a gem. She said she was a Magical Girl."  
"I'm a Magical Girl too" said Homura. She showed him her Soul Gem.  
 **Hurry up and transform** said the voice. She felt sorry for ignoring it. But this was something she had to do. She had decided.  
"Oh. Are you...going to do anything?"  
"No. I'm ready."

Homura's Soul Gem came to the middle of her body. The red heart shone brighter. They stood there for a moment, Asgore dreading what he's about to do, Homura anticipating what's about to happen. She didn't listen to the voice, telling her to transform.  
"I'm sorry" she whispered.  
"Human" said Asgore. "It was nice to meet you. Goodbye."  
A mask fell over his face and he whipped out a trident. She was now in a fight. There was no going back from this.

Asgore allowed Homura to make the first attack. She just went up to him and punched him weakly. He moved his hands near her Soul Gem, fireballs coming out from them. Homura didn't even try to avoid them. She just stood there and took the hits.  
When it was her turn, she pulled her weak punches again. For the most part, she didn't even try to touch him. He shot fireballs at her again, and she just took the hits. They were painful, of course, but that was what she deserved. Asgore then turned his back on her. A blue and an orange light shone, followed by sweeping flashes of the trident. She wasn't hurt by the blue one, but was hurt by the orange one. When it was her turn, she just touched him. Then, it began to rain fireballs. She just stood there and took the hits as usual. Whenever it was Asgore's turn, he allowed him to hurt her as much as possible. She never bothered dodging his attacks. As far as she was concerned, this was her punishment.  
 _This is what you get for killing those monsters_ she told herself after every hit. _This is what you deserve._  
 **I see what you're planning,** said the voice. **But do you realise what will happen to humanity if you let him kill you?  
**  
She couldn't even hear the voice at this point. She was atoning for her sins. And besides, wouldn't it be good if there was a world with no more Wraiths, with no more Magical Girls for the Incubators to dupe? They would have to leave the Earth.

Finally, she was down to one HP. She was bruised and burned. Asgore came forward and raised his trident. Homura just smiled. She would finally be free from this miserable life.

 _I'm sorry, Madoka._

But suddenly...

 **STOOOOP!**

Strangely, a figure formed- the figure of a child. They wore a green striped shirt and brown pants. They had rosy cheeks. Their hands were outstretched in front of Homura. . Their arms were spread out and they were transparent.  
Asgore dropped his trident and mask. The figure disappeared.  
"Just now...I saw...them. I...I..."  
"I saw it too" said Homura. But what did it mean?  
"No...I can't hurt you. Especially when they told me not to."  
Could it be that figure was the first human that fell down here- the human the king and queen raised?  
"I really don't want to hurt you, Homura" said Asgore. "Oddly enough, while I attacked with everything I had, you only threw a few weak punches or in some cases didn't touch me at all. You didn't even avoid my attacks when you had the chance. In fact, you seemed to be hurting yourself deliberately. Could it be that you were trying to die?"  
Homura nodded sadly.  
"I killed three monsters, so I thought I would atone for my sins."  
"And I killed six humans, all of them very young. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that."  
Homura then laughed.  
"Its funny" she said. "When I first came here, I lost my memories. I wanted desperately to get them back, to know who I really was. And now I know...I've lived a miserable life."  
Homura found herself pouring her troubles to Asgore- about Madoka, how she desperately wanted to save her, only to fail in the end. Only for her wish to come to nothing. She even found herself telling him of Madoka's ascension to godhood, even though she knew he would never believe her. Asgore listened to her patiently and smiled.  
"I know what its like to lose someone" he said. "I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here I would use their souls to become godlike...and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity...And let monsters rule the surface, in peace. Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again. Truthfully... I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope..."  
"I know how that feels" said Homura. "My original goal was to just save Madoka, but as the timelines went by, I became more distant. I ended up hurting some people, when all I wanted was to save my one and my only friend."  
She felt tears leaking out of her eyes.  
"And now she's not even here. I have no one. I have no reason to even go to the surface."  
Asgore shook his head.  
"You are just like the other one" he said. "The last human that came down here was also a Magical Girl. She was very depressed. When she came here, I did not even fight her. She just gave me her soul- or her Soul Gem- and then ran as far as she could. She told me not to try to revive her."  
"All Magical Girls fall into despair at some point" said Homura.  
"That is a cruel thing to do to young girls" said Asgore. "Homura...if it helps, you can stay here. You don't have to fight on the surface anymore."  
"Are you...are you sure?"  
"Yes. As long as you are here, my wife and I will take care of you. We can sit in the living room...telling stories...eating butterscotch pie...We could be like... Like a family... "  
"I...I think I'd like that. I've had enough fighting for one lifetime."  
"Homura..."  
For the first time, it felt like something good was happening. She inched closer to Asgore. This was her chance to start rebuilding her life. No more fighting Wraiths...just a happy, idyllic life...things were finally looking up for her...

Suddenly, those familiar, white bullets surrounded Asgore. Before either of them could react, they came closer to him and hit him in the chest. Homura watched in shock and horror as he turned to dust before her very eyes, his soul struggling to remain. A single, white bullet broke it. From the ground emerged that dreaded flower.  
"You IDIOT!" he said. "I thought you'd grown wise, but you haven't learned a thing, have you?"  
"YOU!" exclaimed Homura. "I thought I was finally beginning to be happy. Does every good thing in my life HAVE TO BE TAKEN AWAY?!"  
"Oh dear Homura, I thought you'd understand. In this world..." he said, as the six souls began to surround him. "Its KILL or BE killed!" His face became more distorted with each word. He began to laugh evilly as the souls got closer. There was a bright light. Then, everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

**What happens when Homura has to fight something that looks like a Witch? Well, lets find out.**

 **Also, there's just one more chapter left, and I'll finally be done with this fanfic.**

Homura wasn't sure if she had woken up. All she could see was a black void around her. She could see herself just fine.  
"Where...where am I?" she asked.  
 **Don't panic. This thing ALWAYS happens just after you defeat Asgore** said the voice. **Just transform here. You'll need it.  
** She did as the voice said. She tried to think back to what happened. She was about to have a nice life with Asgore...yes, she was so happy that time. And Flowey took it away from her. Her happiness had once again been taking away. Shaking her fist, she walked forward to find Flowey. Among the black void, she found a save point. As usual, she put her finger on it. Her progress was shown. Then, suddenly, a crack appeared in the box. Then another one. The save point is destroyed and Flowey's face appeared on the screen.

"YOU!" said Homura, shaking with rage.

"Howdy" said Flowey. "Its me, Flowey. Flowey the flower. Man, you really let me down. I was counting on you to do a number on that old fool so it would be easy for me to kill him. But you were just too caught up in your despair and self-loathing. In the end, I had to do the job. You are SO unreliable!"

"Where are the souls?" asked Homura. "What did you do with them?"

"Oh, don't worry. I have them with me. Mmm, I can feel them wriggling. It feels great to have a soul inside me again. Aww, you're feeling left out, aren't you?"

"Why would I?" asked Homura. "I have a soul of my own and I have no intention of giving it to the likes of YOU!"

"I'll tear it from you anyway" said Flowey. "Because I only need one more soul to become GOD! Then, humans…. monsters…. everyone…. I'll show them the REAL meaning of this world! Oh, and forget about escaping to your old save file. Its gone. But don't worry, your old friend Flowey has worked out a replacement for you. I'll SAVE over your own death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces…. over and over and over again."

Homura took one step forward.

"No matter how many times I die, I will NEVER let you do what you want with this world" she said. "Because…. it's a world she wanted to protect."

"You REALLY think you can stop ME?" asked Flowey. "Hee hee. You really ARE an idiot!"

The six souls appeared around Flowey, then went inside him. Flowey's new form started descending.

There were no words to describe the abomination Flowey had become. He now looked like the Witches Homura had seen. For all she knew, this entire place could be a Labyrinth. Flowey's evil laughter echoed through the void.

Flowey immediately started attacking. Having fought many Witches before, Homura was an expert at dodging attacks. But Flowey's attacks were too much. He didn't even give her a chance to attack. His lower eyes shot flower like bullets that covered a wide range. Vines appeared near Homura, concentrated at her Soul Gem. He even summoned flamethrowers. Red circles appeared wherever she was, followed by white bullets. She summoned her bow but didn't get the chance to attack. As the last white bullet hit her, the red heart inside her Soul Gem broke and she was unconscious again.

 _This is the end._

Asgore's voice echoed in her mind.

"This is all just a bad dream…"

Then suddenly, it changed to Flowey's voice.

"And you're NEVER waking up. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Homura suddenly woke up again in the black void. That was strange. She remembered dying while fighting Flowey. She was still wearing her Magical Girl outfit. She looked at her Soul Gem. The heart was intact, as if nothing had happened. But the Soul Gem had blackened by a quarter. Regardless of what had happened, she was ready to fight Flowey again.

"Hee hee hee" his horrible voice echoed. "Did you really think I would be satisfied killing you only once?"

He descended once again. Homura kept her bow ready. Flowey started attacking immediately. Once again, he didn't give her a chance to attack. All she could do was avoid the attacks and try her best to stay alive. Homura had fought many Witches during her time as a Magical Girl. She had survived through a hundred Walpurgisnachts. But none of the Witches came close to the grotesque amination that was before her. Even Walpurgisnacht seemed like nothing compared to Flowey. After a painstaking process of trying to avoid all the attacks, the screen which served as Flowey's face blared with a WARNING sign and showed a blue heart below it. The scene changed. Flowey was no longer in front of her. Instead, the area she was in had knives everywhere. They spun and moved diagonally in unison. She tried to avoid them. Then, she saw something that interested her- an ACT button, like the one on her phone, She went towards it and pressed it, hoping it would send help. Help did arrive. The knives turned into bandages and they helped heal her injuries.

Homura felt stronger now. She dodged Flowey's attacks. She understood that the human souls were trying to help her. She had to stay strong… for them... for Madoka….

The WARNING sign returned and this time, showed an orange heart. Flowey faded to the background and rings of hands came towards her. When she saw the ACT button, she pressed it again. The hands turned into green thumbs-ups. She collected as many as she could. Unfortunately, she didn't collect enough. Before she knew it, she was back in the fight with Flowey. He spammed attacks to no end. She was killed again by a set of vines.

She woke up again in the black void. She got to her feet.

"Pathetic." Flowey said. "Now you're REALLY gonna die!"

Flowey's attacks began again. She began dodging until the next soul tried to help her. This time, she was below a line of stars, limiting her movement. Ballet shoes were rising up and down. Homura crawled in order not to be crushed by ballet shoes until she found the ACT button again. When she pressed it, the ballet shoes disappeared and the stars turned into musical notes, which she collected. She was stronger again. She continued running from Flowey's attacks. Flowey was now loading his file every time Homura got hurt. She ended up being killed again by bombs.

She woke up yet again.

"I…..I don't get it" she said. "Why do I keep waking up? I'm supposed to be dead."

 **Determination** said the voice. **You said it yourself, didn't you? You weren't going to let him do what he wants, no matter how many times you die. That's why your soul refuses to break. Its your will, Homura. You simply have a lot of determination.**

Homura nodded. Determination was the right word to describe her. She did relive a month over and over again just to save her best friend. No matter how many times she would repeat it, she had been determined to save Madoka. Even here, her determination showed.

"Flowey, no matter how many times you kill me, I will get up again and again, and I WILL defeat you!" she announced.

"Hee hee hee" he laughed. "Do you realize what will happen after you defeat me?"

Flowey appeared again. He started attacking but Homura dodged them with a newfound willpower. She had to do this for everyone. She couldn't let Flowey win. She wasn't going to die to him again. He was just another Witch. She would keep fighting until a soul appeared to help her.

The fourth soul appeared. There were two lines of books along both the sides. Negative words came out from them.

Trapped.

Despair.

Destroy.

Corrupt.

Doom.

Sadness.

She avoided all of them, till she saw the ACT button. She pressed it and the negative words turned to hopeful words.

Hope.

Laughter.

Happiness.

Luck.

Protect.

Kindness.

The fifth soul was the Soul Gem she had seen. There were three frying pans which flipped fireballs. Once she saw the ACT button, she pressed it. The fireballs were replaced with fried eggs that healed her.

The sixth and last soul used a gun which shot bullets towards her Soul Gem. The ACT button replaced one of them and she pressed it. The bullets were replaced with flowers.

After this, all the souls came out from the television screen. The bodies that the souls belonged to formed. All of them were very young. The only one who was more than 10 years old was the Magical Girl, the owner of the Soul Gem.

"You've come this far" said the girl, whom the light blue soul belonged to. "You cannot give up now."

"You can do this, Homura" said the boy, who was the owner of the orange soul. "You are very brave to keep fighting this thing without backing out."

"Homura, we know you can do this" said a boy, the owner of the blue soul. "That is why we've helped you."

"You've persevered in the face of difficulty for so long" said the owner of the purple soul, a young girl. "We're sure your efforts will not be in vain."

"Give him what he deserves, Homura" said the yellow soul's owner.

"Homura, we're sure you can succeed where we failed" said the Magical Girl. "You're the only one who can do this. You're special, Homura."

All the while, they were healing her with the things they used when Homura had called them.

"You guys…." Homura said.

After that, she was facing Flowey again. He had weakened, but he was still attacking.

"Don't worry, everyone" said Homura. "I'll do this for all of you! I won't let your efforts be in vain!"

She now attacked him with arrows whenever she got the chance. The souls kept shooting things to heal her with Flowey's attacks. Homura had been hurt. Her Soul Gem was darkening. But she wouldn't give up. She never gave up before and she wouldn't do it now. She kept attacking whenever she had the chance. She thought of how all the souls had helped her and her willpower was strengthened. She wouldn't die again. She couldn't die again.

Finally, she managed to deplete Flowey's health.

"No…NO!" he said. "This can't be happening! You….YOU…"

Homura had a triumphant smirk on her face.

She had WON.

The soul's efforts were paid off.

But….

"You IDIOT!"

It was Flowey's turn to be smug. His health had all come back with a simple load of the file he had saved at the beginning. He shot a laser from his mouth which hit Homura. Her heart broke. She was essentially dead. But Flowey brought her back….. only to kill her again with vines. He saved both these files and then loaded them again, 32 times. Once he was done, white bullets surrounded Homura. Her willpower was now crumbling. Was this abomination truly invincible?

"Hee hee hee" laughed Flowey. "Did you REALLY think you could defeat ME? I am the GOD of this world. And YOU? You're HOPELESS! Hopeless and alone! Golly, that's right. Your WORTHLESS friends can't save you now. That is if you made any friends to begin with. You're just like that other Magical Girl that came down here. You Magical Girls are SUCH desperate creatures. But you're even more desperate. Relying on some goddess friend to make you happy….what was her name again? Madoka, wasn't it?"

Homura's eyes widened. What did this creep want with Madoka?

"She's a goddess now, is she? Well, what fun! If that's really the case, then I'll strip her of her goddess powers and take them for myself. Then, when she's weak, I'll kill her right in front of your eyes before I kill YOU! Oh, what fun that will be! Call for your goddess friend! I dare you!"

Homura was at her limit. First this….. THING…. killed Asgore just when it looked like she would finally be happy. Then he took the six human souls and became an abomination and had killed her three times. Now, after killing her 32 times, he was talking about killing Madoka. Her willpower returned. She wasn't going to let this thing do what he wanted anymore.

"No.." she said.

"What?" asked Flowey, confused.

"How DARE YOU THREATEN MADOKA, YOU….. YOU BASTARD!"

A magical purple aura appeared around her that blew the bullets away. She summoned her bow and ran forward. Flower summoned vines to stop her but she just climbed on top of them and continued running, avoiding all his bullets. She jumped up. She set many arrows to her bow. Then, she let go of it. The arrows rained down on Flowey. It was his turn to not be able to attack now. Homura was not done. She combined many arrows together to make one big arrow. She then let it go. It cut off one of Flowey's arms. She still wasn't done. She was now on her feet again. She summoned three such big arrows and shot them at Flowey. His other arm was hacked off. One of them hit the TV screen. Despite this, he could still talk.

"Well, I'll just…" he tried to load his file, but it failed.

"What? Where are my powers?"

"Your game's over, Flowey!" said Homura. "The human souls aren't on your side. They never have been!"

At that very moment, the six souls came out from Flowey's body. They started circling Flowey, draining him of his power and destroying him.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME! STOP! STOP IT! STOOOOOOP!"

Flowey screamed, in vain. His body began to get destroyed.

He was reduced to just a bruised flower, his head hung down. Homura set an arrow to her bow. After all he'd done, she was ready to kill him.

"Yes... YES!" said Flowey. "Kill me! Show me you still have it in you!"

 **Don't do it** the voice said. **If you kill him, you'll just be giving him what he wants.**

Homura paid heed. She lowered her bow.

"I spare you" she said.

"What?"

"I spare you, but its not out of goodness of my heart! Its because I don't want to give you the pleasure of being satisfied. I would have loved to kill you, but I won't stoop to your level, Flowey!"

Flowey said nothing. He just disappeared under the ground. The exit to the underground was just in front of Homura. She looked at it for a while. Was she really going to leave? After all, there was nothing on the surface for her except more Wraiths to fight.

"Homura…" a voice said. She turned behind. A young girl with green hair and eyes, wearing a green frilled dress and carrying a Soul Gem was behind her.

"Its you" said Homura. "You're that Magical Girl that fell here before me."

"Yes" said the girl. "My name is Hana Sakurada. Thanks to you, I am now taken by the Law of Cycles. The goddess has sent me here on an important task."

"What would she want?" asked Homura.

"The goddess wants you to know that she doesn't hate you."

"Really? After all I've done…. I killed three monsters. I almost let humanity be destroyed because of my own self loathing."

"Despite that, you're still her best friend, Homura Akemi" said Hana. "The goddess wanted me to give you this."

She gave Homura a shield- her old shield! Why was this here?

"You can only use it once so use it carefully" said Hana.

"I….. I will" said Homura.

"And I need to give you one more thing" said Hana. She came forward and gave Homura her Soul Gem.

"You're giving me your Soul Gem?" asked Homura.

"I want it to be used for good" said Hana. "I'm reunited with the Law of Cycles now. So I figured….. maybe there are people who need a soul more than I do. And one more thing…"

Hana held out a grief cube. She took Homura's hand and cleansed her Soul Gem with the grief cube. Homura didn't know how much her Soul Gem had darkened until she saw it. It had almost fully darkened.

"Your Soul Gem had darkened too much" said Hana. "Luckily when I fell down here, I got some grief cubes with me. Homura…. I must bid you farewell. The goddess calls for me. You did a good job. I trust you'll know what to do to with what I just gave you."

With that, Hana disappeared in a shower of green sparkles. Homura looked at her shield, then at Hana's Soul Gem. In an instant, she decided what she must do. She turned her shield, resetting time for one last time. She was now back outside the barrier. The shield had disappeared.

Just to make sure, she entered the room. Sure enough, Asgore was there, still alive and well.

"This is the barrier" he said. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If...if by chance you have any unfinished business, please do what you must."

"Actually, I do have something to do" said Homura.

"I see. Take your time."

Homura went out from the room. She summoned her Soul Gem.

"Please take form, if you can" she said.

Something came out from her Soul Gem. Then it took the form of a child, with short, brown hair and eyes, wearing a green striped shirt and brown pants and having rosy cheeks. Homura thought of her vision back at Waterfall and the story of Asriel and the first human. It made sense now.

"Nice to see you again, Chara" she said. "Thank you…. For all your help."

 **Y…You're welcome** said Chara. **I can't keep my form up for long, so do what you need to quickly.**

"You'll be able to keep your form permanently after this" said Homura. She held out her Soul Gem.

"Chara….. I want you to have my soul."

 **What? You're just….. giving your soul to me?**

Homura nodded.

"Chara…. Please do me a favour. My life sucked. There's nothing for me on the surface except more Wraiths to fight. So if I give you my soul….. please live life to the fullest."

She took out her ribbons and pressed them in Chara's hands.

"Take these…. as a remembrance of when you helped me."

 **Homura…. I don't deserve this. I've done horrible things too. I…. I even hurt my best friend. I hated humanity, Homura. I….. I can't believe you would do such a thing for me. To give me another chance….**

"I've hurt many people too and I deeply regret it. But if the king and queen see you again, I'm sure they'd be overjoyed. I don't have family or friends on the surface. So please…. take my soul for me. Live your life again. And…. if a creature appears promising to grant you any wish….. please don't listen to it."

She placed her Soul Gem on Chara's chest. A bright, white light appeared. Homura closed her eyes and smiled in anticipation. She would finally be reunited with her best friend.

 _Madoka…. I'm coming._

Then everything went white.


	11. Chapter 11

Chara never liked wearing ribbons. But they decided to wear them just for one day. They tied the ribbons on their head and looked in the mirror. Not bad.

They heard Asriel calling for them.

"Coming!" they said. They ran downstairs. Asriel was waiting for them there.

"Come back soon, children!" Toriel called after them.

Chara thought back to when monsters first came to the surface.

* * *

Chara never liked humans. They had had bad experiences with humans in the past, especially their family. But this human was one they grew particularly fond of. So when she lay lifeless in front of them, they were actually upset. They had never been upset at the death of any human before. But this one was special. She had acknowledged Chara's help and thanked them for it. She tried not to hurt anyone despite having a clear advantage. Even when she did, she felt regret. Chara looked at their hands. They weren't a ghost anymore. Yet, they didn't deserve this. They were the one that drove their family apart. If only they hadn't made that stupid plan, Asriel would still be alive, Toriel and Asgore would still be together and those humans wouldn't have to die.

Chara saw another Soul Gem with Homura, a green one belonging to Hana Sakurada, that other Magical Girl. They knew what to do with it. They took the Soul Gem. Flowey was right behind them too.

"Asriel…" Chara went towards them.

"Chara…. you're here. You're really here."

"Y…Yes. Its me" said Chara. They held out Hana's Soul Gem. "And now you can be whole too."

They held the Soul Gem next to Flowey. A bright light appeared. The next moment, Flowey was gone. In his place, stood a goat, wearing a green striped shirt similar to Chara's own shirt. He looked at his hands, then at Chara.

"Finally" he said. "I have a soul. I…. I'm not an emotionless flower anymore."

He then looked at Homura. Her eyes were closed and he was smiling. He took her head in his hands.

"Oh Homura…. I'm so sorry. I hurt you…. I hurt everyone."

"Homura…. was really special" said Chara.

Asgore came out from the room.

"Homura... I heard something. Is everything…." he stopped short when he saw Asriel and Chara. "What…. Asriel…. Chara…. How did you…. am I dreaming?"

"Its all thanks to Homura" said Chara.

"She sacrificed herself…. to bring you two back?" asked Asgore.

Just then, a bright light appeared. A girl with long, pink hair tied in white ribbons, wearing a white gown and having golden eyes appeared before them.

"You must be Madoka" said Chara.

"Why yes" she said. "I've come to take Homura. We'll be together at last."

She carried Homura.

"Chara…. thank you so much for helping Homura."

"Ah…. you're welcome" said Chara.

"Madoka…. I'm sorry I threatened you" said Asriel.

"Its okay, Asriel" said Madoka.

"Wow….. who are you?" asked Asgore. "You look like you're human, but…"

"I used to be a normal human" said Madoka. "But now, I'm the Goddess of hope. I give hope to all Magical Girls and save them from a destiny of despair."

"Magical Girls, huh? A Magical Girl did fall down here. She seemed to be depressed."

"That's Hana Sakurada, right?" said Madoka. "Don't worry, she's with me now. She has no reason to despair anymore. She's happy now. Her Soul Gem isn't even with you anymore. You can check if you like."

"Oh, that's nice" said Asgore. "But monsters are still looking to get to the surface. I still have to…"

"No, your people don't have to despair anymore, your majesty" said Madoka. She went inside the barrier. With a shot of her arrow, she destroyed the barrier.

"Well, I must go" said Madoka. She took Homura and disappeared.

"Wow" said Asriel. "So…. what now?"

"I guess…. we go to the surface" said Asgore.

It was announced everywhere that the barrier had been destroyed. Monsters prepared to leave the Underground. They all talked about what they would do at the surface.

Asgore announced an era of peace between humans and monsters. Chara was sent to be the ambassador to the humans. It turned out they'd forgotten about the war between humans and monsters, because they agreed to let monsters and humans live in peace.

* * *

Two months had passed since then. Toriel and Asgore were still not together but they seemed to be getting better. Chara and Asriel took turns between living with Toriel and Asgore. They hoped some day, their parents would get back together again.

"You know….. those ribbons look really nice on you" said Asriel. "You should wear them more often."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't like ribbons, but they were hers after all."

It was strange how the ribbons had a history of their own. They originally belonged to Madoka, Homura's best friend who had passed them on to her after the former ascended to godhood. Then, before Homura gave her soul to Chara, she gave the ribbons to them. Chara wondered who they'd pass on the ribbons to.

"Its been a while since we came here, huh?" said Asriel.

"Yeah. I can't believe two months have already gone by" said Chara.

"Hey…. do you remember all those timelines?" asked Asriel.

"Of course I do. I guess I can relax now that they're over but…"

"But what, Chara?"

"I'm not sure if I still want this. Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys…. they never got to be better friends with Homura. And besides, she still did kill some people. Vulkin, Muffet, Mettaton…. they'll never get to see this. And Mettaton won't get to be a star here. Besides, Alphys still has the burden of the Amalgamates."

"Maybe someday she'll get better" said Asriel. "She and Undyne seem to be making progress."

"Chara look out!" said Asriel.

"What? Where?"

A few humanoid figures loomed above them- the Wraiths.

"NOT SO FAST!" said a voice. Two girls approached- a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a red outfit with her Soul Gem on her chest and a blonde girl with hair tied in twin drills and a beige outfit, with her Soul Gem on her head in the form of a flower. They were Kyoko Sakura and Mami Tomoe, former partners of Homura. They were joined by Undyne and Papyrus. Mami used her ribbons to tie the Wraiths. Undyne launched a volley of spears at the Wriaths. Kyoko launched her own spear and tied the Wraiths. Papyrus used bone attacks. Mami shaped her ribbons in the form of a gun and shot at the Wraiths.

"Get ready for my special attack!" said Papyrus. He shot many bones at the Wriaths. Kyoko and Undyne worked together and defeated some Wraiths with their spears.

"Mami! Do your thingy now!" said Papyrus. Mami jumped up. She winked at Chara and Asriel as she pulled out a gun.

"Tiro Finale!"

The last Wraiths were gone.

"Yeah! Good job everyone!" said Undyne. "Those Wraiths were no match for US! Kyoko, you were AWESOME with the spear!" she said backslapping Kyoko.

"Hah! It only comes with experience!" said Kyoko.

"Wowie, that was fun!" said Papyrus. "We should do that again, right Mami?"

"Fighting Wraiths isn't supposed to be fun, Papyrus" said Mami.

"But I can make it fun" said Papyrus.

"Monsters can see the Wraiths so at least Magical Girls don't have to work alone anymore" said Chara.

"Hey, you're Homura's little friend, right?" said Kyoko.

"Yeah" said Chara. "Um, I'm sorry about Homura."

"Hey, its fine" said Kyoko. "Homura's happy now."

"Hey Asriel" said Mami.

"Yeah?"

"Tell your mother I tried her butterscotch-cinnamon pie recipe. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever baked."

"Hell yeah!" said Kyoko. "That pie was AWESOME! You should make it again sometime, Mami."

"Alright I will" said Mami.

"Lets go home, shall we?" asked Asriel. He and Chara bid goodbye to Kyoko and Mami.

"Come over for tea sometime" said Asriel turning back.

"We will!" said Kyoko.

Chara couldn't help but smile. Despite all the terrible things they had done, they were glad they were forgiven. They touched the ribbons Homura had given them. Her soul ran through their body now. Despite everything, they were still connected. They looked up and knew that Homura was finally happy to be reunited with their best friend, just as Chara was happy to be with their best friend.

 **Wow, I actually managed to finish two chapters in one day!**

 **Anyway, this fanfic is officially done. I'm thinking of doing something similar but with Sayaka as the main character instead, where she's at the peak of her despair. But I'll probably save that for later.**

 **Whew! Now that this is done I can go back to other things.**


End file.
